Training Days
by Lacrow
Summary: Bonds can't be broken with mere words...but throw fists into the equation, and it's a different story entirely.
1. Training Days

**Disclaimer: **First story, please R&R. I do not own Soul Eater.

**Training Days**

**By. **Lacrow

* * *

><p><em>Right jab. Left swipe. <em>He thought to himself tiredly, in unison with the pitiful barrage that he continued to dodge just as easily in real life as it seemed in his head. _ Slice up. Crush attack follows. _Once again he predicted the actions as they happened in real time, his vermilion eyes glazed over from going through the motions for so long, and once again did he regret the entire situation altogether.

"Soul, quit messing around! I know you can do this, now get your act _together_!"

His dulled eyes brightened a bit and a smirk of amusement graced his face. His meister was taking the match much more seriously than he was, but that was probably to be expected. It might not have been a fight in the conventional sense, but if her father was to be his sparring partner, there was no way she would let him ease up, even for a moment.

"Well Death-scythe," He started, his meister's voice still ringing in his ears. "It's been dull, but I've gotta wrap this up." A sharp grin spread across his face that bore every single one of his serrated teeth.

"Don't even think about it, Soul Eater!" Spirit heckled, annoyed as he threw another attack Soul's way which the latter quickly dodged. "You're not gonna weasel your way out of this; we keep this up until the training's finished!"

"You don't get it do you, you old perv?" Soul snorted, catching hold of the predictable follow up punch he had already seen coming, much to Spirit's surprise. "I mean, I'm going to end this."

_Put all your force behind it._ _Remember how Giriko did it...remember the way it looked..._

_The way it felt._

Soul pulled Spirit towards him with his own captured fist, catching the older death-scythe off guard. As their faces came closer together, the younger of the two suddenly dropped to the ground, his right leg outstretched, catching Spirit's foot and sending him tripping forward. Falling face first, he had only enough time to get on his knees and throw a glance back.

_That's it. _

Without missing a beat, Soul rebounded back on his feet. And as he came up, instinct took over, his eyes growing wide as he took his right leg and swung it as high into the air as he possibly could, trying to imitate the one person whom he had seen perform the move last.

_Just..._

Miniature scythes formed along his leg in a row vertically, stretching from the front to the back. Together they resembled, what looked like, a chainsaw.

_Like..._

Heart racing from adrenaline, and throwing out a roar from deep within his throat, he sent his leg careening towards his opponent with all the force he could muster behind it. Spirit had no time to react, too shocked at the sudden strength from his pupil to defend himself. He had only the few moments to register as Soul's leg flew mere inches from his eyes.

_This!_

His leg rushed past Spirit's face, but did not make contact. Instead, the saw blade swiped at the ground nearest the death-scythe's face with devastating efficiency, sending a cloud of debris into the air that lingered for a moment or two, only to be rushed away by the desert wind. After the dust settled, a neat cut about a foot deep graced the landscape, Soul's foot midair as he held it above the last point of impact. Spirit could do nothing but breathe a tremulous sigh of relief.

The maneuver itself was quick, but the scope of the damage was immediate.

"S-Soul! Papa?..." The awe of her weapon's death-scythe abilities nearly drowning out the concern for the two men, Maka couldn't help but gawk. "...Are you two okay?"

"Yes, angel..." Spirit replied weakly, a small bead of sweat dangling from his cheek as he glimpsed the destruction of the desert earth next to his face.

Soul panted as he wobbled his leg slowly, blades disappearing in small balls of glow. "Yeah, but I don't think I'll be doing that again for a while."

"Yes, I'd prefer that you didn't."

Maka spun around and found Professor Stein approaching as he called out to them, returning to them from the farther out spot where they had witnessed the entire match. Ms. Marie was in tow as was usual, her face beaming in delight at the apparent progress her student had made during the training.

"Wow Soul! You've certainly improved in such a short time…" Marie congratulated, suddenly trailing off as she glanced at Stein's face, which looked slightly annoyed.

"So what do you think Stein?" Spirit called out, tossing himself on his back to re-cooperate.

_Incredible, I never knew he was capable of doing that. _Maka beamed within her mind; she was so proud of him, and impressed! Why wouldn't she be impressed? Soul, the deathscythe SHE made, had just taken down her papa. Lord Death's personal weapon! She admitted to herself that it was just a training exercise, but still, no one had expected him to win!-

-_But he beat him without me_

The thought surprised her, and her eyes widened at the realization of what she was thinking.

_Of course he beat him without me…this is __**his**__ training. What else could he have done? __Snap out of it Maka, you're being unreasonable!_

She tried to convince herself to ignore the random comment that her own mind had concocted, but the longer she tried, the more she ended up dwelling on it and made herself feel worse.

"I think Soul is indeed progressing in his ability to fight on his own, and he's become far stronger than when he first initially became a death-scythe. I believe the advanced form control that he demonstrated just now proves it."

The comment brought a contemptuous grin across Soul's face, and he looked for a confirming smile from his meister. Finally, after all the hard work they put into the rigorous training that all Spartoi members must go through, they were seeing _tangible_ results.

He could see Maka notice his gaze, and she quickly smiled back. But something was off about it, like she seemed to be forcing her happiness. He also noticed that her usually bright emerald eyes just weren't all that bright at the moment, and her usually calm, collected shoulders that screamed confidence just seemed to droop at the moment, as his usually did when he was trying to look 'cool'. His own smile slowly faded from sight and was instead replaced with a blank, bewildered stare. _What's with her?_

"However," Stein continued unexpectedly, causing everyone to refocus back on him. "He's still nowhere near, shall we say, an autonomous weapon. He simply just does not have the ability."

Quickly he turned his attention to the young scythe. "Soul, you may have produced a chain of blades along your leg, but you can't manipulate them in the way which I know you intended to." He took his glasses and gently wiped the sand and debris from them. Then, putting them back on, the professor continued. "No matter how much you and your meister train, you will never make them vibrate like Giriko, or shine like Justin Law's. All of your moves are strictly reserved to knife like, albeit them more elegant, movements. And it would be foolish for the two of you to not focus on that as your strength."

_Elegant knifing, huh? _Maka's attitude seemed to perk almost instantaneously. The bright of her eyes returning, the dull green of her irises shifting to a silky viridian. That extra perk in her shoulders came back as well, as if her confidence had made a complete recovery and then some. _Soul's not into that sort of thing. No way can he pull that off without me, I've got to be there to keep him in line!_

Soul sighed to himself, annoyed. _Guess that settles that. _Slightly disappointed in Stein's verdict, he figured that although his new technique had just been ousted, at least Maka must have cheered up, as he noticed with a soft stare the way her lips curled into a barely concealable grin. Even so far away he could recognize her smile.

"Wonder what's got you all perked up." he called to her, smiling at her return to normalcy.

She turned to face him and gave let out a quick scowl that masked her thoughts. She didn't dare let Soul catch on that she was thinking about him. He'd never let her live it down. "Nothing Soul, I'm perfectly alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, alright." He replied, casually reaching for the back of his hair as he scratched his head slowly. "I just assumed that since Stein told me not to use that move anymore, you'd be happy that we could fight together all the time? Or something like that."

Her mouth suddenly parted for a second. Did he really know her that well? Soul's expression stayed the same, but his brows quickly rose. He had her in the palm of his hands...but did he know it?

_You're such an ass. _She could hear her father's hurt gawk at her previous statement, but simply ignored it like she had at his earlier request for her to cheer for him during the fight. Instead, she just focused on the gaze of her partner and glared his way in return.

She hated the way he seemed to get inside her head without even trying anymore. It wasn't even fair at that point, because she couldn't let her mind wander at points when he was around, or else she'd be subject to whatever kind of teasing or snide remarks he could come up with. She was annoyed at how calmly he seemed to handle _everything_ that came his way. She didn't really care for that innocence in his tone though, because she didn't _really _buy it, although she liked to think of him that way sometimes...

A moment to collect her thoughts though, and she was instead thinking about his positives, going strictly against her own policy of not letting her mind wander. She _did_ like how his bloody red eyes seemed to want to follow only her at the moment, even so far away, and with so many people around who might notice and think it was 'uncool'. How that desert sun just bounced off his bleach white hair and matching jacket, making him seemingly glow in the middle of the day. _And those teeth…_

"I think," Marie started again, effectively ending their well concealed stares. "We can practice a few more drills. Stein, would you like to have Soul learn a few more maneuvers before we go?"

"I don't see why not. We have this particular area to ourselves for the next several hours; we'd mine as well use it while we have it."

"Great!" Spirit sprang up with a sudden vigor, surprising both Soul and Maka as he hopped to his feet and wrapped his arm around his training partner's neck. "I can't wait to fight this one for real." The sneer on his face was almost palpable.

"Actually Spirit," Stein began, taking his coat off and neatly folding it as he handed it to Ms. Marie. "I think it would be more appropriate if I carried on with the training myself. After all, there's a bit too much…tension, between you."

Stein looked in the direction of Maka, who replied with a slightly embarrassed smile and a look in the opposite direction. Soul closed his eyes in annoyance. Spirit merely squeezed his hold on Soul tighter.

"Anyway we should probably get started. Spirit, if you'd please let go of Soul."

Maka's father gave a half-hearted scowl as he released his captive, throwing his hands in his pocket as he walked towards Marie to get out of the way of the training. Soul immediately regained his composure, fixing his jacket as he made a b-line for Maka, an equally half-hearted scowl still lingering on his lips.

"Fuck him." He spat as he came to his meister, hands shoved deep within his pockets.

"Chill out Soul, don't let him get to you." She replied flatly, annoyed at his use of language.

"How do you put up with that fucker anyway?"

"Language Soul, I've warned you once before."

"What the hell, Maka! He acts like an ass and you get mad at my fricken lan-"

"MAKA CHOP!"

Book square in his head, Soul's eyes boggled. His legs buckled, and he slid quickly to the floor, mouth wide in comedic fashion as he landed on his butt. Maka stood over him, hands on her hip.

"He might be an ass, but he's still my dad. And when I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. Got it?" she commanded, chest puffed out in dominance.

Soul looked up at her with his hand on his head and right eye wincing. He was tempted to defy her, but the loaded book in her hand convinced him otherwise. With a pain induced whimper and a nod, she held out her hand as a gesture of good will.

"Where do you get those things, anyway..." he huffed, pulling himself up with her help.

She smiled lightly. "I have my ways."

"Any day now you two!" Stein beckoned out of nowhere, his voice noticeably more cross this time around. The two children turned their heads in his direction, both of them completely forgetting why they were there in the first place.

"Yeah, I hear ya!" Soul called back to him, stretching his neck out to the side so as to not end up yelling in Maka's ear.

"Well, as soon as you two part ways, we can begin." Stein called back out, taking off his glasses for added measure.

Soul nodded in confirmation and quickly returned his attention back to Maka. "Why don't you go over there and watch with Ms. Marie and that perv of a father of yours. We'll meet back up later."

"Yeah, ok." she said simply, already turning around with her hands behind her back. She started off casually.

Suddenly his brows perked at the prospect of asking her the question that was secretly eating at him, and he genuinely wanted to know the answer to it. "Wait a second…" he called out to her, instantly stopping her in her tracks. "Why _were _you so happy a minute ago?"

Realizing what he was asking, she spun around and caught his gaze, slightly irked. Her lips pursed and that annoyed blush that occasionally hinted at her cheeks was obviously present. "Papa lost the fight, why else would I be happy?"

Couldn't resisting, he grabbed a hold of the top of his tie and gave her a soft smile. His eyes twisted in a playful look. "You sure it's not because you still get to grab onto me the way you like?"

_Soul Eater! _

Her face turned bright scarlet, mouth agape in embarrassment as she caught the expression on his face; pure amusement. The soft grin on his face with those bright bloody eyes...it almost made her not so mad at him. _Almost_. And she knew that he was referring to his weapon form, and _not _the obvious phallic symbol he was implying. But the bastard knew it was a double entendre and he had _meant_ for it to sound dirty. She only hoped within the deepest parts of her heart that it hadn't been loud enough for anyone else, especially her father, to hear.

"I hope it was worth it, Soul." She choked, quickly regaining her composure as she strode towards the other spectators, a bright shade of red still noticeable in her cheeks. "You're gonna get it when we get back to the apartment."

"I'll take my chances." He chuckled, grin turned from soft to wild as he watched her stomp her way off the field.

She made it about half way though, when she suddenly stopped. Soul looked on curiously as she cocked her head for the same reason, herself wondering who Professor Stein was suddenly talking to in a secluded place like this. She could make out two figures in the distance, one was Stein, with another unknown person right in front of him. She tried to listen to the conversation from afar, and was hard to hear, but she could make out the words just fine.

"_I'm sorry, but only authorized Spartoi members are allowed on these grounds at the moment. I'd ask that you leave and return to the academy immediately." _

"_Actually that's something I'd like to change if possible, sir."_

That first voice was most definitely Steins. But whose did the other belong to…?

"_Maka Albarn?"_

She watched in bewilderment as the figure from afar suddenly began running towards her, waving as he approached. Soul looked on in equal fascination as the figure (who he had then confirmed as a boy) very quickly neared her and outstretched his hand to shake hers.

Taking his hand in politeness, she stammered. "Um, yes, I'm Maka Albarn. What's your name?"

"Please, excuse my manners." The boy replied, removing his brown hat as he bowed his head in respect. "You can call me Leon. Leon Camp."

She looked him over fleetingly. A dark brown tan, blue checkerboard button up with white shirt underneath, (which reminded her vaguely of Soul's red one) and dark tan cargo pants. His black hair was smooth and slick, giving off an air of coolness which was accentuated by his blackened converse. His blue eyes matched the desert sky; crisp and navy.

"Nice to meet you Leon, can I help you with something?"

Leon let go of her hand and returned his hat to its previous spot. Then, putting his thumbs in his back pockets, he continued his introduction. "Yes ma'am. I've been here at Shibusen for a good two months now, and I have to say that the greenhorn meisters here aren't exactly what you'd call professional. I've been looking all over for one, but no one's really met my standards."

Ms. Marie, suddenly intrigued with their conversation, grabbed a hold of Spirit's arm and guided him over towards Stein, who was nearest the pair. "Spirit, do you know who that is?"

"No." He said nasally, a deep throbbing vein appearing at the corner of his forehead. "And I don't care. What's he doing out here talking to my darling Maka! Stein, why the hell didn't you kick that punk out of here when you had the opportunity!"

Stein, now accompanied by Spirit and Marie, watched attentively as the weapon and meister carried on their conversation. He ignored Spirit's dramatics and instead focused on remembering who this stranger was. Was he one of his students? No, he remembered all of his students well. Maybe he was one of Sid's kids? In the back of his mind he knew that face from somewhere…but where exactly?

Back across the field, the boy named Leon continued with his conversation. "I've been interested in this whole Spartoi business. I hear you all are the best of the best, and I've been wanting to take a crack at joining the team. Only problem is though, it takes two to tango as they like to say. Being on your own only gets you so far, and I need to take it to the next level..."

"I don't see how this involves me, though." Maka whined, now oblivious as to any point this strange weapon was trying to get at. "We're very busy right now, so if you'd please-"

"-lemme cut straight to the chase then ma'am." He interrupted, dropping to his knee instantaneously as he snatched her hand back from her side, sending Maka into an uncontrollable fit of red.

"_Would you please do me the honor of allowing me to be the weapon of a beautiful creature like you_?"

Her heart jumped. Spirit's jaw dropped. Marie's eyes widened. The only one that didn't react was Stein, too deep in contemplation to care. Maka's heart beat at a thousand times per second and it was growing ever faster. _What did he just say? A beautiful creature? Me? _She kept trying to reason everything but it was happening so fast that she didn't have time to sort it out. _Why does he want __**me**__?_

"Leon…" She gulped, palm starting to sweat in his outstretched hand. "I-I…you see, I…well…"

He held onto her hand for dear life, and brought it to his lips for a kiss. Then pushing his hat up so he could meet her eyes, he smiled. "I won't ever disappoint, and I promise to always keep you safe."

She couldn't answer him on her own. She had _never _had this problem before! Soul was the one who got partner requests, not her! If he was there, Maka was sure he'd know what to do. He was always so _cool_ in situations like this, why wouldn't he help her? Then, suddenly, her heart stopped its incessant beating and came to a screeching halt within her chest, which made her heave as if going to throw up. She had come to a horrible realization, too caught up in the moment to think about it before. _Where **is **Soul?_

"She's taken."

Maka took a sudden breath and looked to her left, just as the white haired boy she trusted so well appeared right next to her, seemingly out of nowhere. She could see his solemn face as he immediately pushed her behind him, breaking their hands apart in the process and putting himself between her and the other boy. The meister looked on from behind as Soul stood before her, hands in his pockets, glaring at the other weapon as though defending her from some sort of terrible threat.

She took the brief moment and breathed in deep, trying to let the huge blush of red to disappear from her face. But even as Maka tried, she couldn't help but feel the shade return to her face at the sight of that broad shouldered weapon of hers, standing watch over her like a bodyguard. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. _Soul…_

"Soul Eater." Leon sighed, echoing Maka's thought. He shook his head as he got up from his knees casually, slowly dusting himself off as the red eyed boy in front of him leered menacingly. "You'd be happy to know that I know all about you."

"Lots of people do. Now get lost." He replied coldly, fingers tightening in the privacy of his pockets.

"I'd tell you to learn your manners, but you're an Evans boy, so I figure you know all about those already. Either way, I'd recommend that you let this young lady make her own choices regarding who she partners up with." Leon retorted, sticking his thumbs into his back pockets.

Soul scowled. "We're a team and we stick together. Any problems with that and you settle it with me."

Leon glanced over Soul's shoulder and snuck a peek at Maka behind him. What he saw wasn't the confident woman whom he had been studying the past week. Nor was she that symbol of courage and strength that so many other students looked up to. Instead, she was a blushing mass of goo, a silly school girl who was helpless in the face of that one particular boy with the snow capped head. Her disgraced state infuriated the greenhorn weapon, but most of all, it strengthened his conviction to partner with her. He just had one obstacle to overcome, in his eyes, the source of all her problems both past and present; Soul Eater.

"Actually…" Leon started, bringing out his right hand from behind his back and holding it out to the side. "I'd much rather settle it with your blade."

Eyes fixed on his opponent's, Soul saw the determination, and it infuriated him. Within his mind he kept wondering to himself why this stranger had come all of a sudden to ruin his partnership, and what right did _he _have to mess up this thing they had together? Breaking his own conduct, Soul removed his hands from his pockets and stretched his fingers as if preparing for a quick draw with a pistol. His own resoluteness grew within his chest, and after taking one last look at his instructors and meister, he made up his mind. Mimicking his opponent's movement with his own right arm, he nodded.

"Wait, what?" Maka suddenly called out, hands besides herself in anger at witnessing her partner suddenly agree to a fight in front of her. "Soul, you're not going to actually fight over something stupid like this, are you? It's not worth it!"

"Stay out of this Maka." he replied quietly, eyes still fixed on Leon's. "He won't leave until we do this."

She shook her head in anger. "Don't do this Soul! He's just a new student, there's no reason to take this so far. There's better ways to handle this you idiot!" Maka turned her attention to Leon and her voice became noticeably sweeter, which angered her weapon further. "Please Leon, I appreciate your offer but Soul's my partner. I'm not interested in changing weapons right now, so please, if you could just leave-"

"-In a body bag." His mouth parted, flashing razor sharp teeth at the opponent.

Camp's eyes flashed. He was done talking about the entire situation, and was ready to win a chance at his newly found partner. His arm outstretched, it glowed momentarily, form shifting into one that looked somewhat like a blade. It wasn't until the glowing ceased that the full scope of his transformation became apparent, and a fully formed blade with a gauntlet-like hilt had fully replaced his right hand. He made no noise, only pointing his weapon self at the opponent in a clear challenge of will.

"That's it?" Soul called out, a clear annoyance in his tone. His own arm flashed quickly, resulting in a long scythe on the underside of his arm. He flicked his arm and the glowing ceased. "Let's get this over with."

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><p><em><strong>Across the field...<strong>_

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><p>It took a moment to sink in, but Stein, who had been completely abstained from the entire situation at this point, suddenly found himself back into reality. He finally knew who this new student was and his transformation just then had revealed it.<p>

"That's Leon Camp." Stein spoke suddenly, surprising both Marie and Spirit enough to break them out of their dedicated stares and make them jump.

"Yes, this has already been established Stein." Marie sighed, palm to her face in annoyance. "We know who he is. He's a student here at Shibusen."

"No you don't understand." He replied rather hurriedly, causing Marie to take notice. "That weapon form…that's called a 'Pata'. It's an Indian sword that is held like a gauntlet and swung around with the full force of one's own arm. It's a highly dangerous tool when wielded by a proficient user."

"Well, then that shouldn't be a problem." Spirit replied, eyes closed with his arms crossed. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want either one of those little twerps near my precious Maka. But assuming that we're rooting for Soul Eater on this one…"- he looked to Marie who flashed him one of her rarely used evil looks- "…then I don't think we have much to worry about. Leon's just arrived here, and he doesn't have the training to fight on his own yet."

Stein grabbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You two are both missing the point here. You heard that he's been here for two whole months, and hasn't found a partner yet, correct?"

The two nodded in unison.

"Then," he continued. "It's only logical to assume that he's been fighting on his own for the past two months. Weapons are not like meisters, they can still be allowed at Shibusen if they can't find a partner, assuming that they can take care of themselves and fight alone, just as Justin Law did."

Suddenly Spirits eyes widened, realizing the purpose behind the conversation. "So what you're saying is-?"

"-Correct." Stein finished, analyzing the situation from afar. "This Leon character is an autonomous weapon. I remember him from the student briefings that we have every month. His family's a group of well established weapon lineage from the East, so I assume that he's had plenty of experience in sparring at the very least. I'm surprised neither of you remembered as well."

Marie and Spirit looked at each other in comical fashion, then quickly regained their composure. Marie then walked up stein, and handed him back his lab coat.

"Should we stop the fight then?" she asked calmly, realizing the implications of Stein's words.

"No, I don't believe so."

Taking out a loose cigarette from his coat's breast pocket and bringing it to his mouth, he revealed his lighter from his pocket. Lighting it for a moment until the smoke streamed out consistently, he took a deep puff and blew, his detached composure returning immediately.

"Leon may be dangerous, but he's still just a student. We can monitor him safely, and the training benefits this situation presents are more substantial than what we could offer Soul at the moment. And besides..." he trailed off for a moment as he watched the two boys run off farther into the desert. "...this should be entertaining."

Marie payed a glance at Spirit beside her. He stood there adamantly watching the situation play out, his arms crossed. She then looked back at her associate, who was more than complacent with his decision as he continued to smoke his cigarette. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Simply grabbing her right arm with her other, she accepted the ruling and conceded.

_Guess I'll play along for now_

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><p><strong>A.N: <strong>You would not believe how much time I put into this one. I guess the first story's always the hardest!

Major credit goes to Poisoned Scarlet, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be posting this right now. Again, please R&R, and Chapter 2 should be up relatively soon.


	2. Proverbial Thrust and Parry

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater.

**Training Days**

**by. **_Lacrow_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_Proverbial Thrust and Parry_

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><p>The hot desert sun beat down on them, unrelenting as it scorched their skin and evaporated their sweat. The gusts of earlier were nowhere to be found in the flats, and the air became thick and stale with the tension that mounted between them. Soul took a moment to look at the far off audience to his right, and the one lone spectator that had decided to follow them halfway. He shifted in his spot.<p>

"Let's get this over with." he growled, voice directed at Leon but eyes at something else. "Before my meister gives herself an aneurism."

Leon was wary, but he looked over anyway in curiosity. A distressed Maka caught his attention, her facial expressions impossible to see. He could tell simply from the way she was standing that she was angry, at her weapon he assumed. Looking back at his opponent he found that Soul was still not paying any attention to him, instead most of his focus being in those red, emotionless eyes that Maka had full custody and control over. His anger swelled.

"My meister," he exhaled. "Not yours. Not anymore. You don't deserve someone as talented, smart, and respectable as the daughter of Kami Albarn."

Soul broke his gaze immediately and lifted his scythe to silence the other. "No one - not _now_ - not _ever_ - is going to separate us. That'll be the first thing that I beat into you."

_Why do they keep saying such **stupid** things! This whole thing is ridiculous!_

Maka's fists shook under the weight of her own anger. She had just taken the back seat to her weapon yet again, after she had specifically gotten after him for not listening to her earlier. In her mind she decided that when this was over, he would get the full brunt of her fury, and this time around she would not be so quick to help him back up afterwards.

"Soul Eater!" she shrilled.

Soul's attention immediately shot back to his meister at the sound of his last name, a clear indication at the level of pissed off she was experiencing. A knot forming in his throat, he swallowed as a single shiver shook his spine, running up towards his neck and back down again lightning fast. In his head, he knew that there was an opponent to beat. But he also knew that a livid Maka was a far worse adversary to fight, and he was smart enough to know when to pay attention.

"The minute you finish this," she started, her fury toned back down to a painful simmer. "We're going home. I'm going to take away your console. I'm not cooking for at least a week. You'll be doing _both_ our laundries for the next _two _weeks. And whatever else I can't think of right now, you'll be doing it!"

"But Maka!-"

"-Don't you _dare _'But Maka' me, Soul!"

The boy named Leon watched in utter disbelief as the 'death-scythe' across the field brought his arm back down from its threatening position. He then brought his hands behind his head and clenched the back of his hair. With a distressed look on his face, he pleaded with his partner, begging her to reconsider. Maka continually hounded at his attempts, standing firm in her decision to punish him for his disobedience, like a dog that kept peeing on the carpet after specifically being told not to. The bickering went on for minutes, and the thick, stale air seemed to lighten at their comedic fighting.

However, as the two continued with their silly squabble, the anger within Leon continually mounted, and his patience with everything grew thin. Alone with his thoughts, his fists shook as the words slowly gathered at the back of his throat, until he could take it no longer. He had no problem screaming them out at the top of his lungs, and with a strange kind of pleasure he released his thoughts, his every intention being to stop the nonsense so he could finally fight and win his prize; Maka Albarn.

_"**SOUL EATER EVANS!**"_

Maka suddenly halted her heckling and turned to the source of the roar. Soul did the same. And as they looked on with wary eyes at the wrath within Leon's, they knew that confrontation was imminent.

"I've watched for a week as you, a _death-scythe_, make a mockery of yourself by not taking your life seriously, and not only yours, but the woman you're willing to fight for's as well!" Leon hissed, blade trembling as he stretched it outwards. "I'm tired of waiting any longer. I'm tired of playing second fiddle to someone who doesn't realize what they have! I'm sick, and tired, of _you!"_

Soul's eyes widened. He knew what was coming somehow, like a sixth sense, or instinct, call it what you want. It tickled the back of his neck as if warning him, making his hair stand on end. He braced himself immediately, not knowing what was coming. Only that it _was_ coming.

Leon started his assault. From his motionless stance, he immediately set out into a full speed sprint. His level of agility was insane, his very image blurring with the mirage-like ripples in the air. Both Soul and spectators alike marveled for a moment as he seemed to disappear into nothingness, only to re-appear right in front of Soul. A fraction of a second later they were at each other, their blades locked in a solid tug-of-war for control.

Leon grounded his feet and drove them in a desperate attempt to overpower Soul quickly, but he would not budge. The swift Pata blade that he bore on his hand was just too light compared to the death-scythe's, and he watched in horror as Soul forced him back, causing him to wobble as he tried to regain his balance.

"Never rush in like that!" Soul barked, ducking as he went underneath to attack him from below.

Leon recovered quickly enough to parry the scythe blade by catching it with the slits in his gauntlet, twisting his arm in a way that forced Soul to follow. The white haired boy had no time to react as Leon released his blade and allowed his opponent to fall forward due to his own momentum, leaving him completely open to attack.

"Never let your guard down!" Leon bellowed in return, his blade cocked in preparation to stab.

Soul watched as the blade came down quickly, aimed straight for his stomach. With no time to think and instinct from his training kicking in, Soul's left hand came to fill in the void of his right. A scythe appearing almost instantaneously, he blocked the attack by the skin of his teeth. The resulting clash produced enough force to knock Leon back a few steps, and allowed Soul to turn on his side at the last second, coming to a crashing halt on his ribs as he landed.

Leon jumped back to his previous spot in caution, debris kicking up as he slid the entire way along the sand. Blade to his chest, he crouched in a defensive posture and waited for Soul to recover, determined to not repeat the same mistakes the two had just committed.

"Stand up, death-scythe, before I lose my cool again!"

Wincing at the pain in his ribs, Soul lay on his side for a few moments as he tried to think things through.

_He's fast, too fast. There's no way I can keep up with speed like that. I have to make him come to me. _

Shaking his head and smacking the ground, he hopped back to his feet in one motion. Regaining his focus and stance, the boy brought both of his arms across his chest in an X formation. The scythe blades returned and formed a defensive wall of steel. His eyes focused on his opponent and they too took the resolute properties of the metal that plated his arm.

"How about you get back here and fight me head on!" Soul ordered across the flats.

"Give me one good reason!" Leon called back, determined not to charge in first again.

Soul's eyes narrowed. He figured that since he couldn't rush recklessly into anything, he'd have to outsmart the Demon Pata. Closing his eyes, he tried to hatch a plan.

_Well, he's obviously got a short fuse, either that or he's been fuming for way too long. And it goes without saying that he wants Maka to be his partner...he wants her to like him, too._

Shrugging to himself, he decided that the only thing to do in a moment like this was something he very rarely liked to do; gamble on the situation. A mere taunt, that was his great plan. And, hoping that the one thing Leon couldn't allow was a blow to his ego, Soul put his brilliant plan into motion.

"What do you want Maka to see you as!" he taunted, making sure his voice carried as far and clear as possible. "The honorable fighter who'd give his all for her? Or a little bitch of a weapon that kept running as he got a couple scythes shoved up his ass?"

Maka's face suddenly flustered in annoyance at the thought of herself being used as a taunt. "Soul! What do you think you're doing? Don't encourage him!"

The weapon ignored his meister, and instead waited for a response from the other end of the field. A small bead of sweat hung at his temple as he held his breath, a moment passing by without reply. Then, ever so quietly, he could hear the boy across the field respond. The words were calm, the tone was quiet, but Soul knew that it was forced and that his real thoughts were masked by a cool exterior.

"I'm going to kill you in five seconds."

From his spot Leon rushed towards him immediately, arm stretched to the side as he sprinted with what seemed like all the force he had. Soul grinned like a devil as he watched the boy take the bait. He had gambled and just hit the jackpot! The only thing left to do was to turn it around on Leon!...there was, however, a problem. It was one that Soul hadn't quite thought through yet, and now that the rest of his plan had worked, he had to deal with the inevitable question that needed answering. _How the hell do I do that?_

* * *

><p><em>One second…<em>

* * *

><p>Leon was fifty meters away, sand trailing behind him as he blitzed towards Soul. His speed was insane, comparable to Black*Star's even. It outclassed any other opponent the young scythe had ever encountered before, and it confounded him as to how he would counter it.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Two seconds…<em>

* * *

><p>Twenty five meters away, he was close enough for Soul to see the look in his eyes. It wasn't that self-righteous utter bullshit that he had seen in him in the short time they'd known each other. It wasn't the look of honor and commitment that he had for a particular person he'd never actually <em>met <em>before. No. He recognized that look, as he'd seen it in himself a few times, when the black blood within his veins became too much to control. It wasn't just rage. It was blood lust.

* * *

><p><em>Three seconds...<em>

* * *

><p>Leon slowed for a moment. Soul gulped, wondering why all of a sudden the opponent brought his blade from his side to out in front of him, outstretched with the the tip pointing directly at his head. Was he trying to run him through? To skewer him in some sick plan to steal Maka from him after getting rid of the competition? Did he really want him <em>dead<em>? Was he just trying to intimidate him?

* * *

><p><em>Four seconds...<em>

* * *

><p><em>Demon Pata Camp<em>. The thought crossed Soul's mind as he watched as Leon suddenly thrust himself into the air with all his might, performing a front flip as he threw his legs over himself, gaining momentum to carry through his now painfully apparent plan. As he straightened out, he brought the blade in front of him again. Soul's face was emotionless in defeat, himself now knowing exactly what Leon was trying to do. He was aiming for the one open spot on his entire body. He was going to slice right down the middle of his head.

* * *

><p><em>Five seconds are up...<em>

_"DON'T DO IT!"_

* * *

><p>His eyes were forced open by her call, and in what seemed like a painfully slow moment in time, he looked over at the girl he was fighting for. In that small window, he caught a glimpse of Maka that he rarely ever saw, and an emotion she almost never showed; fear. She was afraid that things were getting out of hand. She was afraid that he was going to seriously hurt, or worse. And in his mind, Soul realized that whatever happened, he had to get out of this situation and finish the fight. Not for his pride. Not for the sake of winning. No. He had to do it for her, because if he didn't, not only would he be possibly maimed in the process, but the bastard was going to take Maka away from him. He wasn't sure what thought pissed him off more.<p>

The blank expression that he had soon gave way to a look of determination and for a moment, Soul felt as though for the first time since his sparring match with Spirit did he know exactly what to do. He turned his attention back to the blade that came down towards his head, time seemingly speeding back up to regular speed. The X formation across his chest suddenly became inverted as he flipped his arms, the sharpened edges held outward in a scissor pattern.

Leon approached fast and Soul wiped all doubt in his mind, both of them waiting for Leon's blade to reach that certain point that would benefit them the most respectively. Then suddenly Soul's eyes flashed. He had found the opening he was searching for, the blade only inches from the crown of his head.

As Leon came down, Soul brought his blades up to meet him, and his eyes instantly grew wide as he knew that he had just walked into a trap. A second later, and Leon's blade arm was caught between the two scythes, his whole self being held midair in the process. He wasn't going anywhere. Soul had him right where he wanted him.

"You took the bait." he sneered.

Soul let his scythe's slide past each other, lopping off Leon's blade in the process. The unmistakable sound of a guillotine rang throughout the surrounding area, a shrill scream following soon after. The loose piece of metal fell to the ground, leaving its previous owner to quickly scamper back to his defensive spot across the field from his opponent. Blood trickled down his arm as it returned to normal. Everything was still there, hand and all, but the phantom pain he experienced still felt very real.

Maka's eyes grew wide.

"You _bastard!_" Leon hissed, crouching on the ground as his arm fell limp, blood trickling from invisible wounds.

Soul's face, darkened, came to level with Leon's as he too crouched on the ground. "Be thankful it wasn't your ass this time."

His meister's heart had skipped an unaccountable amount of beats in a very short amount of time, so as the lull of semi-peace slowly spread through out the area and her pulse followed suit, an uneasy sickness hung over her. The thought of Soul being sliced in half because of her was almost too much for her to bare. She cursed him over and over again under her breath for the way he put himself in such pointless danger. She then cursed herself for not being able to stop him in the first place.

Her piteous thoughts were soon put on hold however when she noticed Leon already beginning to stir again. She watched as the challenger slowly rose from his crouch, his legs first straightening, and then his back. He swiveled his shoulder for a brief moment and let out a cry of pain. Then, taking his other arm, he grabbed his opposite shoulder and flicked it into place as the tell tale *pop* of a dislocated joint radiated the area. He let out a low grunt, and soon he was swinging his arm in the air as if shadowing his weapon form.

"Why is he still able to move his arm? Maka inquired, rarely at a loss for words when it comes to Weapon/Mesiter related subjects. "His blade was chopped off! Doesn't it hurt?"

Maka's shocked words caught Soul's ears and, taking a momentary reprieve, he decided to quell her thoughts.

"It doesn't hurt that much when you lose a blade." he answered her calmly, thinking of moments when he had lost pieces of his scythe. "Only when you mess with the base. I'm assuming that the hilt was damaged in the process somehow and that's where the blood is coming from. His shoulder just went along for the ride."

"I won't forget it, either." Leon grunted suddenly, interrupting their short lived conversation together.

He waved his right arm, wincing from the pain. Then, apparently fed up with trying to rehabilitate it quickly, he simply let it fall limp at his side.

"You realize now that things are only going to get harder for you, right?"

"What a coincidence," Soul glared, still crouched like an animal. "I was about to tell you the same thing. Only problem for you though is I still got both my hands."

Leon smirked, his navy blue eyes settling in a sickeningly contemptuous look. "You disabled my right hand..."

Sticking his left arm out, the dark skinned boy transformed yet again, this time fashioning a blade from his elbow down, with the hilt this time being a simple silver cover as compared to the intricate gauntlet-like design of the previous one. Soul looked on warily as Leon took a deep breath and brought his new blade across his chest, just as he did last time.

"You do realize, however, that I'm left handed?"

A quick snort came from his opponent. He closed his eyes, an annoyed angle to his brows. "And what the hell do I care? I'll just take that one out too! It's over Leon, now give it up!"

_"_Soul, where'd he go!_" _he suddenly heard Maka scream.

His eyes immediately burst open, his heart quickly revving to unimaginable speeds within his chest. He had taken his eyes off Leon for a moment! For a _fricken _moment_! _And _in_ that short moment, Leon had disappeared so quickly that not even Maka knew where the hell he'd gone to! He frantically looked to his left and right sides, desperately alternating between the two, looking for any clues as to where he could've possibly went. The fear that had left him earlier had now returned in full force and a sick uneasiness churned in his stomach. _WHERE THE HELL IS HE!_

_"This is why you should care."_

There was no time. Not even for emotion. In his crouched position Soul had the brief second to turn his head, glancing over his shoulder to find the image of Leon in the air, his blade cocked like a hornet ready to impale him at any moment. In a painful, twisted sort of irony, Soul realized that he found himself in the same position Spirit had earlier, only this time it was not going to result in the same outcome. His eyes glazed over for a moment, half closed, only to widen with tears a second later as the steel of his opponents blade sunk itself deep into his body. The reaction to scream came only after the sword erupted out the other side, the sight of bloodied metal sticking out through his right breast, sending him into a panic.

As quickly as he came, Leon removed the blade and jumped back, yet again retreating farther across the field. Soul was left there on his knees, grasping his wound for relief that he knew wouldn't be coming. The blood trickled out at first. Then flowed. Then gushed. His own red eyes paled to almost gray, as if being cut off from that one fluid that gave them their signature tint. Maybe they faded because he was surprised at how quickly it had all happened. Or maybe it was because of the way his heart sank when he caught Maka's sad, wide eyes as he clutched his wound and gasped for air.

"Soul..." she whispered, eyes tearing at the pitiful sight she found her partner in. She had seen him hurt before, and he had fought for her once before too, but for some reason this entire situation was just too much. Her thoughts and emotions were jumbled and she couldn't decide what to do. Should she jump in to help him? Would he want that? Should she even care what he wanted at this point? The only thing she could do was stand there.

"Soul!" Maka started, warily trying to at least do something. "You're gonna be ok! Stay calm!"

Soul nodded slowly as he watched her, eyes still wide in shock. His chest compressed erratically, every attempt at a breath resulting in convulsions. She was right, he was too afraid and likely to pass out if he didn't calm down. He started to take deep breathes, and although it was hard in the beginning, his condition improved just a little bit more after every try.

It took him a few minutes, but after calming himself down, and hacking up thin air a few times, he realized that there wasn't any blood in his lungs. He also noticed that after the initial spurt or two of the red stuff, the blood flowing out of the hole in his chest started to slow as well. The pain in his back was immense, and he couldn't even feel his arm, but at least he didn't have to worry about bleeding out. He assumed to himself that he was going to live.

"Cowardly...little fucker." Soul heaved through his teeth, right eye wincing as his arm on the same side fell worryingly limp. "Running back to your spot...every time. Can't even face me."

Leon's eyes were unyielding, his expression flat. He replied calmly. "Members of my family are surgeons by trade. Aside from making us more than enough money to fund our weapon activities, the knowledge of human anatomy helps immensely when making precision attacks. I made sure to hit you just below your shoulder blade in an upwards motion. No organs were hit, and you'll eventually be able to move that arm in a few days."

_A few days? _Soul had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that unless he recovered in the next few minutes, Stein, Ms. Marie, and that perv of a father of Maka's would come over and stop the entire thing, and then what would happen? _Would it be a draw? Or...would I lose?_ He shook his head to snap out of it. He had to keep fighting, but that was easier said than done. His mind ached and his wounds were making his stomach queasy. _The hell you gonna do now, Soul?_"

"I'd have thought that you would've just chopped my head off while you had the opportunity." Soul heaved, trying to buy time as he planned.

Leon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as if in regret. "It was never my intention to kill you. Earlier I had planned to slam your head with the butt of my blade and knock you out. You merely assumed that I was going to kill you."

A cracked grin managed to find its way on Soul's face. "I _assumed_ that you were trying to kill me, because you _said _that you were trying to kill me!"

He shrugged. "I have a bit of a temper. People say lots of things in anger."

_"_That wasn't anger! That was just reckless abandonment with no regard for anyone!" Maka growled, more to herself than others. Despite that, she noticed that Leon seemed to jump a little at her words, somehow catching them even though he wasn't anywhere near her. He looked over at her fleetingly, then just as quickly bowed his head.

"Yes, well..." he started, trailing off somewhat. "...there's too much on the line to go easy on anyone. I don't intend to lose a chance at being with Ms. Albarn."

"You got that right."

Leon looked back up quickly, only to find that the crippled death-scythe was back up on his feet, still grasping at his chest. With a tired look, he shook his head. "What do you think you're doing, Soul Eater?"

"Soul, don't get up!" Maka croaked, still debating as to what exactly she should do with him. "You need to take it easy!"

A pained sneer worked its way on Soul's face at both of their comments. Wobbling, he removed his hand from his chest to maintain balance. Steadying himself, he took a deep breath. "I'm a pianist."

Leon blinked. "What?"

"I'm a pianist." Soul repeated, head held firm. "I figured you'd know that, considering you seem to know everything else about the two of us."

His opponent simply shook his head, amused. "I know you're an Evans, so you must be musically inclined. I don't know what instrument you play though, I honestly didn't really care enough to find out."

Giving his all, and with his pride on the line, Soul forced himself to stand up straight, the pain jolting him constantly, though he didn't dare show it to Leon. "You probably should have cared."

His eyebrow perked. He was impressed that he could walk and talk, and surprised that he still had the will to go on. "And why is that?"

"You disabled my right arm..."

Catching both Leon and Maka off guard, Soul brought out his left arm and stretched it out, summoning a huge curved scythe along his wrist that resembled a sharpened sickle. Any pain in his face that hadn't already faded did, and with a calm, collected smile, he held his ground.

"You do realize, however, that I'm ambidextrous?"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N: <strong>Second chapter of my first story, woot!

To be totally honest, it's not as long as I wanted it to be, but I thought that it needed to end there. Besides, I think Soul would appreciate the 'cool' last remarks I gave him. What do you think?

Chapter 3 is on it's way. I promise, there will be lighthearted moments, I just wanted to get a good chunk of the fighting over with lol


	3. Awkward Questions

**Training Days**

**by. **Lacrow

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_Awkward Questions, Unspoken Confessions, and A Demon that Just Won't Quit_

* * *

><p>"Very interesting," Stein muttered, taking a puff from his second cigarette as he watched the action unfold from their far off observation area. "They certainly are getting into it. Very entertaining as well, wouldn't you agree Marie?"<p>

The blonde haired teacher didn't so much as turn her head towards the professor. Only giving him a semi-glare from the corner of her eyes, she responded very flatly, "No."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Marie." Spirit interjected, his legs criss-crossed like a kinder gardener as he sat on the hot baked earth.

"Oh, I'm sorry Spirit!" Marie hissed, hands on her hips as she focused the full force of her mother-like wrath towards her associate. "Excuse me for worrying about the well being of my students! Especially when I'm over here with two morons who have no sense of morality, witnessing one of them stabbed through the back with a giant freaking sword coming out the other one's hands, and not doing anything about it! So please_, excuse_ me!"

"Now now Marie," Stein eased, putting his hand on her shoulder, his eyes still glued to the fight. "There's nothing to worry about. If I had felt that any of their lives were threatened at any point during this fight, I would have ended it myself. You simply have to trust me on this."

Marie calmed for a moment as she looked at the hand on her shoulder, then at the man who it belonged to. As if going against her better judgement, she felt like she could trust Stein. They had been through a lot together, and she figured that the least she could do was to put her faith in him. He may be morbid, and somewhat anti-social, but he wasn't going to allow innocent people to be killed, least of all the students who looked up to him like a father. So, again conceding, she set aside her angry thoughts and trusted in her fellow teacher.

"Yeah Marie!" Spirit suddenly barked, interrupting her private contemplation and sending her back into an angry simmer. "Listen to Stein on this one! You women really need to learn how to-"

Stein sighed to himself as he heard Spirit's words muffled, presumably by a heel to the face, at least according to the frightening silence of his fellow teacher and the incessant plea's of Spirit for her to stop stomping on his face. Instead of worrying about those two, the professor kept most of his attention at the three students that were so far off. The white headed one with the red stains on his back, that was Soul. The one closest to being near Stein himself was Maka. And the one with half his arm replaced with a sword was obviously Leon Camp. His brows raised a bit as he saw the white headed one get up on his feet and transform his left arm into an intimidating looking scythe. Stein smiled a bit.

_"_The boy takes a sword to the back and keeps on going. I wonder what drives him to do such a thing."

"Isn't it obvious?"

Stein broke his gaze for a moment and looked to his left. Ms. Marie walked toward him, dusting herself off as she left a beaten and mangled Death-Scythe in the dirt for the buzzards to feed on.

"I would say fear has something to do with it." he answered back casually, blowing smoke through his nose as he took his cigarette between his fingers.

"Mm. The question is, fear of what, Stein?" she verbally parried, approaching him with her hands behind her back.

"Death, I'd assume. That's the most logical choice, considering that, as you said, he just took a 'giant freaking sword' in the back." Stein smirked, his left hand stuffed within his coat pocket.

Marie sighed, her left arm supporting the right one as her palm came to her cheek. "Honestly, Franken Stein. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this entire mess was started because of a little blonde girl in pig-tails?"

Stein's brow rose. "Are you implying that Soul has the hots for Maka?"

Marie's face faintly blushed in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be all that frank about it but...yes, I am."

"WAIT!" Spirit suddenly jumped up from his spot, bruises and blood stains still visible on his face. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING! THAT MY MAKA'S BEEN LIVING WITH A PERVERT FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS?"

"And that's different if she were to have lived with you, how?" Marie grumbled, her hand to Spirit's face as he tried to get at her and shake her, the entire time begging 'Say it ain't so! Say it ain't so!'.

"Well," Stein started again nonchalantly, ignoring Spirit as always and redirecting his attention back on the fight. "That certainly does explain why Soul was so quick to jump to conflict."

"Of course it is!" Marie beamed, briskly brushing off Spirit and allowing him to tumble over himself and fall back down. "It only makes sense after all."

"True." Stein added, taking one last suck of his smoke, savoring the last bit before tossing the second butt to the ground. "I suppose the fact that they live together had something to do with it as well."

Ms. Marie put her hand on Stein's shoulder, still on her high of being told she was right, which she apparently didn't experience often considering she spent most of her time around a genius professor. "Obviously, Franken. There's no way that two individuals could live together for so long and not have feelings for each other."

"Agreed."

A minute came and went, and after it had passed, not much had changed. Spirit was still crying over the imaginary loss of his daughter's purity. Marie still beamed and had her hand on Stein's shoulder. And the good professor continued his observation of the three students. One thing, however, did change. A fleeting thought, to be specific. And _because_ of that fleeting thought, and the person who thought of it's thirst for knowledge, it became virtually impossible for him to concentrate until he had at least asked the question to get it out of his mind.

"Marie?"

"Yes, Stein?"

_"How long have we lived together?"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Across the field...<em>**

* * *

><p>"You sure you want to do this?" Leon called out warily, blade already cocked in a stabbing position right next to him.<p>

"Yeah." Soul replied calmly, waving his left arm is if testing it. The pain in his right was still excruciating, but he bared through it. "I'm sure."

Leon shook his head yet again and closed his eyes. "You know I won't hold back."

Soul looked towards Maka. "I know you won't."

Maka looked back at back at him and returned his longing expression. It was as if he was silently asking for her permission to carry on with the battle and, more importantly, whether or not she _wanted _him to keep fighting for her. Her heart swelled at the realization of her being back in his thoughts, but then she quickly berated herself in her mind for thinking that she wasn't in the first place.

_He's been fighting to be my partner this entire time, and the only thing I've done is stand around and become useless baggage...Soul, I hope after all this is done, you'll forgive me._

She was tired of being the silent girl on the side lines, the one who cried whenever the boy fighting was hurt. She knew that it was their battle and neither of them wanted her to intervene, but she promised herself that after all that had just happened, she was going to be a dam better meister to her weapon when the smoke cleared and the dust settled.

With a look of confirmation and a smile on her face, she decided that the two of them would make an unspoken pact then and there to start the match all over again. This time, they would give it their all, and wouldn't complain about their responsibilities; Soul, to be the best fighter he could be at the moment. And Maka, to support him until he could go no further, and push him even farther than that.

"Listen here, 'Mr. Death-Scythe'!" she shouted, her chest puffing up in that confidence that Soul had always admired her for, but hadn't been present in the past half hour as he fought. "I don't care what the outcome of this match is! When you're finished, you're coming home and doing your chores! And I still expect you to work on your punishment for not listening to me, plus extra for getting hurt so easily!"

Soul smiled weakly and nodded, her words signaling that she still wanted him. "You got it."

"But!... before that...!"

His weak smile quickly turned into a confused frown, face twisting as he tried to figure out why all of a sudden he saw Maka's lip begin to quiver, and her eyes get very red and puffy like they had when he was stabbed a few minutes before. Her expression and tone had just pulled a 180 degrees in two seconds flat, and he had no idea what to do about it. A single tear strung down her face, and the sight of it made his heart sink. Was she _actually_ pissed off at him? Wasn't it all just innocent banter? Was she crying because of him? What did he do!

"W-what? What is it?" he asked immediately, not wanting to make her any more upset than she already was. "If you need me to do something, I'll do it Maka! I'll clean up the house and-"

"-I'm going to take care of you!" she chirped shakily, not looking directly at her partner's face for fear that he'd see her in her weakened state.

Soul, at a loss for words, merely watched. He was dumbfounded by what he saw; a blushing, inarticulate Maka, hands grasping the other behind her back. If someone had told him just an hour before about the sight he'd see, Soul would have laughed in their face. But there he was, watching her eyes shift to the side, not daring to look at his. It almost made him want to smile, but the thought just didn't register with his lips. Instead, he just stood there, arm still frozen in the air, words unable to make it to his mouth as Maka went on with her list of promises.

_"I'll cook you Italian for dinner because I know it's your favorite, you said so after we went out to eat our first night living together!..."_

_Why would she do that? And why is she so emotional anyway?_

_"...And I'll dress your wounds for you, so you don't have to have Nygus do it every day because I know that her bandages freak you out!..."_

_Wait a minute, she feels bad about me being hurt..._

_"...And I'll even write out your homework if you want me to, but I won't do the work for you because no matter how hurt you are I'll never let you cheat!..."_

_...She'd really do that for me?_

_"And then I'll-"_

"-Maka?"

She broke her near rant as she finally returned the gaze of her partner's, his voice snapping her out of her loop. The obvious hue of scarlet still hung deeply in her cheeks though, and with her eyes still red and puffy, she bit down on her lip to keep it from quivering and making her look completely pathetic. "Yes?"

Soul focused on the ground, head ducked in just a way where she could barely see his face. "I think there's some things we need to talk about."

Maka swallowed, a painful knot forming in the back of her throat. Her heart sank in speculation at his words, thoughts flying through her head as she looked at him, his downward turned eyes making her feel as though she had just ruined their relationship. Her chest fluttered. "Soul, please don't-"

"-But we'll talk about them back at the apartment."

His eyes suddenly upturned as he grasped for the hair on the back of his head, a cool smiled directed at his meister. "Preferably over Italian?"

It took a moment for her to register what his reply had meant, but as she looked into those deep, red eyes that calmly peered into hers, she slowly understood. Taking her hand, she wiped any trace of tears from her face. A quick sniffle to make her look presentable, and soon she was smiling back at him, green eyes graceful even though slightly singed with red.

She nodded softly. "We can go out to eat, if you want."

"No thanks," Soul replied, head slowly turning anyway from her as he brought his arm back out to the side. "I prefer your crappy cooking anyways."

"You're such an ass." she said with a smile, echoing her thoughts a half hour before.

"Like I said," he added in a hushed tone, hiding one last grin from her as his eyes narrowed at his opponent. "We'll talk about it later."

* * *

><p>(*)<p>

* * *

><p>From across the field, Leon had waited patiently, albeit it with a certain twinge of jealousy. He had heard Maka's ramblings, and he made out a few of Soul's replies, but he knew exactly what was going on all the same. He could've interrupted them. Could've stopped them mid heartfelt moment and made Soul Eater continue to fight until the winner was decided. But, he reasoned, that wouldn't have been fair to Maka. No, he decided that he would let them spill their guts out. Then, he would wait for the right time to strike, and after all was said and done, he would do things fair and square and win his right to be with her...<p>

"I'm ready, Leon!"

...and that time had finally come. Leon focused his attention down field, Soul's outward stance catching his eye as it mimicked his own. Not wasting any time however, the Demon Pata gave a confirming nod, and watched as Soul Eater did the same. Then, as everyone expected, he disappeared in a flash. This time, however, Soul Eater Evans was ready for him, and he knew exactly what to expect.

_He said last time that things would get harder, then he popped up right behind me..._

Fist clenched, Soul threw a look over his shoulder, catching only the the brown of the desert sand and the scenic view of the mountains far away. Then, like a fish jumping into the fisherman's net, Leon suddenly appeared in the exact spot Soul was looking at. He grinned wildly as the image of Leon materialized right in front of him, the Pata's stunned eyes revealing his complete shock.

"You're so predictable!" Soul roared, swinging his sickle at the opponent as he spun around to greet him.

The blade came close. Very close. But slowed down by his cumbersome right arm, Soul's attack met only thin air as Leon disappeared with his speed, his razor teeth clenched together in anger as he quickly realized that he had just become open to a counter attack. The air rushed passed him, alerting him to movement on his left side. He knew that Leon was coming again, but his heavy wounds kept him from reacting fast enough. Soul was powerless as yet again his opponent appeared behind him, blade ready to slash along his open back.

As the weapon came at him, adrenaline suddenly kicked in. Instinct took over as Soul let his mind go numb, body becoming tense on it's own as if knowing exactly what to do without him. Steel inches away from his flesh, three scythes immediately sprouted from his back to greet it, the blades curved upward in a way reminiscent of Spirit's own abilities.

With no time to correct himself, Leon could only watch as the momentum he had guided him towards the mess of blades, his own blade bouncing off them as if made of rubber. The rebound caused him to take a few steps back, the surprise of Soul's unknown defenses causing him to recoil and sputter.

"Not this time." Soul stated dryly, already spinning around to seize the opportunity.

The pain on his right side burned in the deepest parts of his being, but he wasn't going to let it hinder him, not while he finally had the chance to fight back. Swallowing as his pupils dilated and pain shot up his back, he flung himself around to face the coward. His leg twitched for a brief moment, and a second later it was in the air as he spun. Leon watched, wide eyed, as Soul's heel side swiped at his face, crashing into his head and sending him careening towards the ground.

A plume of sand shot up as Leon flew into the ground, a cloud of dirt and dust surrounding Soul and Maka as the former waited for his rival to get up.

"I can't see a dam thing!" Soul muttered, arm in front of him as to shield him from the debris.

"Soul, don't let your guard down!" Maka called out from somewhere, her location completely unknown thanks to the cover the sand provided. "He won't go down that easily!"

"Tch, I know that!" he hissed back to nowhere, now coughing slightly as the tiny particles filled his lungs. "Now where did he g-"

"Right in front of you!"

Soul watched with huge eyes as the unmistakable sight of a fist came quickly towards him from the dark of the cloud, the image of Leon appearing right after. Caught off guard, Soul could do nothing as it and his face connected, the force sending him reeling and causing the scythes on his body to disappear in instantaneous glows. He instinctively tried to grab his face with his right arm but he forgot about his wound, and soon he was experiencing the pain all over again. Paralyzed in his condition, Soul endured yet another punch to his face as he stood there, blood spurting from his nose as he tried to at least remain standing.

Leon's eyes flared as he continued to throw punches with his left. "You wanted a fight Evans, you're gonna get a fight!"

Another punch, and another, and another. Leon continually pummeling Soul at every angle as the latter tried desperately to regain control within his own body, and deal with the barrage of attacks coming from outside it. The hits weren't all that strong, but the sheer amount caused the young death-scythe to reel from the force they produced. Finally when one punch hit him square in the stomach, Soul had had enough. The pain in his back and chest now paled in comparison to the hits he was sustaining from remaining motionless, and he figured that in a twisted sort of way, he would use it to his advantage.

Using his right arm, he surprised Leon by grabbing his fist as it came his way. He couldn't feel the pain anymore. Not in his wounds, not anywhere. His body had become numb, and with it came a freedom that hadn't been accessible to him until that point. Soul could fight on without caring if he was hurt, he could give it his all. There would probably be consequences later, but at that moment, he didn't care. The only thing he did care about was winning, at all costs.

"I'm tired of your fuckin' games, Leon." Soul deathly growled as he pulled him closer, Leon's eyes wide as their fists shook for dominance. "You can't break me."

"_How_ are you moving that arm!" The Pata hissed, pushing Soul back with his weight.

"You wanna know how?"

Using his own pushing force against him, Soul pulled with all his might and brought Leon bending over himself. A quick knee from Soul into his stomach forced the dark skinned boy to cough up and heave.

Soul's dark eyes leered over him. "I just stopped giving a fuck."

The death-scythe brought up his knee to hit him again in the gut, but it was briskly pushed away by Leon, with his _right_ hand. He looked up at him, a pained sneer dug deep into his face.

"Guess I'll just have to do the same!"

"_Why _won't you just-!"

A well concealed punch came out of nowhere, uppercutting Soul square in the jaw and effectively ending his statement. He hadn't seen Leon make a motion, but then again he'd become accustomed to that. Still, with the speed the punch had, it caught him off guard long enough for Leon to straighten back out and bring his fists up in front of him. Soul quickly recovered however, and after spitting and moving his jaw around a bit, he did the same.

Soul licked the inside of his mouth, a gash clearly visible. "Cheap shot."

Leon stiffened. "It's called fighting smart!"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Leon!" he responded, teeth bared like a dog defending his territory. "Like I said, I'm sick of your games!"

The dust started to settle, and the image of the two became clear against the backdrop of the bright blue sky. The blood on their faces seemed to glow maroon as their faces soon reflected the warm shine of the sun. Every scrape and scratch was accentuated, every wound exposed. The pair was too involved in their focus to notice these things, but Maka, who couldn't see them because of the sand, certainly did.

Looking over Leon, she noticed very little wrong with him. A puffy right cheek, his already mangled arm (which apparently wasn't so mangled since he was now using it again) and some minor cuts and bumps was all that marred him. Soul, however, was a different story entirely. The open wound that went straight through his back, a bleeding nose, bruises and indentations all over his body, and now a bleeding mouth (a product of his sharp teeth being jammed by an uppercut) all revealed themselves to her. It was sickening to realize the extent of his injuries, but she did not become sick with grief herself. That void of emotion was filled instead with anger.

She had heard their entire conversation even if she couldn't see them, and she knew that Leon was fighting dirty. She glared at Leon from her spot, twenty something feet away from them. The growing fire that swelled inside her was in stark contrast to the pity and wallow that she had felt earlier in the fight, her mind decidedly fixated on focusing on her partner's wellbeing, Soul's safety. Fingers curling into fists, and her head held firm, she made one last silent promise to herself before letting them return to the fight.

_Soul, if you don't beat this guy soon, I'm going to jump in and take him out myself!_

_"_Well then let's get serious, Soul Eater!"

Leon's words snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing her senses back just quick enough to catch the two fighters at it again. Talking was over. The battle had picked back up.

The clash and clangs of metal filled the air as Soul and Leon began slashing at each other with newly sprouted blades, both parrying the other's attacks in a complicated whirlwind of silver and black. Soul dodged as a thrust came at his head; Leon, as a counter attack came towards his stomach. Both refused to let up as the battle heated up, their motions becoming more and more fierce as time progressed.

Sounds of fabric snaring and ripping became more and more common as the attacks became faster, more precise, focused. There was little room for error, and with only milliseconds to dodge the thrusts and slashes the duo's clothes started to become punctured with holes and cuts as they stayed too long in one spot, too slow to follow the quick movements of their bodies. Thoughts were non-existent, pure reflex being the only thing fueling their almost supernatural response times.

Then without warning, Soul's foot slipped. It was sudden, probably due to the sand, and neither of them expected it, but Leon wasted no time with his small window of opportunity. As the white headed one fell, the black haired one grasped his jacket, effectively keeping him from falling while at the same time trapping him in place. With little space between them and no room to swing his blade, Leon brought his knee up and pegged Soul in the gut, causing the scythe to lurch and let the blood drop from the gash in his mouth.

"That's for earlier!" Leon grunted, letting go of his jacket.

Soul stayed motionless, arms folded across his stomach, trying to recover from the addling effects of Leon's attack. His whole self hunched over, the only thing he could do was lift his head up as the image of Leon jumping over him came to his attention. Soul gawked at the sight, his mouth agape as the boy came inches from his face, his body curling over itself as if he were a tumbling gymnast.

Then without warning, Soul's spine shook as the feeling of Leon's hand grabbing the roof of his mouth became sickeningly apparent. The fingers curled until they forcefully held onto his front teeth, Leon's flesh being punctured by the razor incisors, though he didn't seem to care. Instead, Leon focused as the came back to the ground, his momentum and force of his muscles causing Soul to curl backwards into the air. The position was awkward and Soul had no idea what to do, leaving him to follow through with the motion. He flipped through the air, his heart pounding and mind racing as to what Leon was planning. The Demon Pata landed on his feet; the death-scythe on his stomach.

As Maka's partner grabbed at the dirt and sand to try and regain his bearings, she watched without breath as Leon walked towards him, his arm again changing back into a blade. The earth underneath his feet soon turned to flesh as Soul was trampled by Leon's converse, the former letting out a blood curdling scream as his heels dug into his open wound.

"Leon, stop it!" Maka screamed at him, already starting to run towards them.

Soul's eyes glazed over as he continued to scream. That invincible feeling he had earlier was nowhere to be found. His only company was pain. The pain of Leon's feet being _intentionally_ dug deeper and deeper into his body. So unimaginable was the feeling that Soul contemplated begging. He wanted it to end so badly, but the bastard kept it up, the entire weight of his body being suspended on Soul's broken self. He was sticking his foot _inside _his back! He needed it to end!

He needed help! But not Maka! Maka couldn't help him. Leon. He wanted to _kill _Leon! But he _couldn't!_ The _pain! _That never ending_ pain! _It wouldn't go away! He couldn't think anymore! **_THE PAIN!_**

"And, Soul Eater..."

The foot was removed from Soul's back. The pain that wracked his body was still very real and for a moment, he just laid there. His eyes were wide, he didn't blink, and he couldn't even breathe let alone scream any longer. No, he just laid there like a cadaver, one that had found absolute peace in death. The sound of Maka running towards him didn't register. Her screams of anger and worry didn't either. His body was broken. His spirit was shattered. He just wanted to lay there and disappear into the sand below, but he couldn't. All he could do was lay there, the used up weapon that he was. His thoughts became nothing. He was nothing.

Leon cocked his blade. "...This is for Maka."

Her screams became shrill. His steel felt so cold. The blood came out so much quicker then last time... and there was so much more of it.

With every fiber of his being and with the last bit of strength left in his mangled body, Soul blasted in agony as the blade went down into his left shoulder, pinning him to the ground. In his screaming fit, Soul jostled the blade, causing it to move around and damage him even further. The scene went on for twenty seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Soul. Leon tried desperately to hold him down with his foot so he wouldn't jiggle the blade, but like a wild animal Soul kept stubbornly getting back up, continuing to cause himself more harm as he fought for freedom. Also like an animal however, after his sudden burst of strength left him, Soul came crashing back to reality. He had no more will left. No more trump cards to play. And with consciousness seemingly slipping through his fingers, he let his body fall limp. His head came down, his body lay flat, and after all the commotion, he suddenly became very quiet.

Maka's undecipherable words rang in his ears, the last thing that kept him from falling into the darkness that quickly consumed him. He held on for dear life to them, because he felt that his life really did depend on it. When she finally stopped screaming at Leon, however, there was nothing left for him. He had no ties to reality; his senses had left him, and his strength had disappeared. Emotions were still there, because he felt a flood of them at the sound of her voice, but a human can't live on emotions alone. Instead, he just closed his eyes and let the shadows of his mind envelop him.

Falling out of consciousness, his last thoughts were of one thing. Four words he swore he heard his meister utter as she screamed them at his opponent. He latched onto them in one last desperate bid to regain control, but it was already too late. Slowly, the real world grew very distant, and the growing crowd of people outside that started to surround him were far from his focus. All pictures in his mind grew dark, and any other thinking was lost to the unconscious. Except for those four words that echoed even till the last moment he could function.

_"...He'll always be mine...!"_

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><p><strong>A.N:<strong> Hope that last bit was good, it sure gave me hell writing it!

It's 2 o' clock in the morning and I'm tired as hell. But! I finished rewriting the chapter because trust me, you didn't want to read the original.

I'd like to give a shout out to all my readers! Thanks for your support and please, leave your reviews because, well, I like reviews lol

Chapter 4 is coming up, but it might take a bit longer than usual due to me not having started it yet. Definitely won't be more than 4 days though...hopefully.


	4. When Darkness Falls and Angels Weep

**Training Days**

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_When Darkness Falls and Angels Weep_

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><p>It felt cool in that little hideaway of his. Then again, it always did. For some reason, the secluded place within a place always seemed to take a life of its own, as if trying its best to accommodate his interests. It was dark by nature, with only candles and a single dreary lamp to illuminate the shadows. A record player behind the lamp. A single table across the checkerboard floor. Red and black were the only colors to be seen including his clothes, with the one exception being his bleach white hair. The only thing marring was the crappy jazz music that came from a record as it skipped in the player, annoying Soul immensely.<p>

"What do you want, Ogre." he spoke flatly to nowhere, more of a statement than an actual question.

"Why, Soul, I'm hurt!"

His response came from the darkness, a little red man in a night black suit emerging from it. Two horns curled from his forehead. Black rings lined his eyes. He swayed this way and that doing an odd little jig, snapping his fingers with a tune that wasn't there. The bizarre act always tried Soul's patience, and he wondered if the little demon did it just to spite him.

"Can't I just spend time with a friend?"

"No." Soul said dryly, annoyed gaze turning into a scowl. "You'd have to have friends for that."

Tending to his tie, the ogre grinned. "Rapier like whit as always. I'm glad to see you haven't lost _your_ edge, given how quickly you lost to _his_."

The skipping record quietly came to a halt, its repeated tune disappearing into a sea of silence. The flames of the candle wicks were the only audible things left in the dark and gloomy room, the gentle swaying of the fire whispering a hushed flicker into the air as they slowly burnt away at their wax. Soul sat in his simple ebony chair and leaned his elbow against the armrest, the scowl on his face waning as he began to realize just how true those words were. A fist supporting his cheek, the annoyance that pervaded his eyes left him. Temptation piqued his curiosity.

"Tell me what you really want."

The little red man smiled. "With pleasure."

At the snap of his fingers, the little demon pulled the satin curtains right behind Soul. He swiveled in his chair, his face expressionless as his eyes fell onto the ebony grande piano that was centered in the middle of the room. The instrument brought him such mixed feelings that he didn't know how to react half the time when he saw it, let alone when he played it. His love of music always made him melt at the sight of such a fine piano, but the cynic in him knew that the only thing that would come of playing it was insanity. So, after experiencing this dilemma more than once in the past, he decided that whenever he came into contact with it, the only thing he would express is indifference. More to spite the demon than to actually keep himself from playing it.

"However, why not a few keys first?"

"Not happening!" Soul spat, turning his head from the instrument as he closed his eyes. "There's no point."

The ogre's eye gleamed with a look of what seemed like malice. "Oh but there is, my boy! A very good one, in fact!"

Soul's scowl returned. "What kind of crap are you peddling this time?"

"Allow me to explain?"

He glared down from his chair. "You'd better."

With a wicked grin spread wide on his face the demon walked over to a tiny stool, one that didn't seem to be there a few seconds ago. His long arms swaying in the swagger he was so despised for, he made his way slowly and casually, all the while irking Soul further. Swinging his little legs over the equally small stool, he smoothly sat down and crossed his arms over his knees, smiling a terrible smile as though he had just finished some master plan.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's quite simple, really." The little conniver smiled even wider than he already was. "You're dying, Evans. Rather quickly I should say."

Soul's eyes contorted back into annoyance. "There's no way I'm going to let that bastard kill me so easily. He stabbed me before, and I survived just fine. Stop trying to con me."

"This is no con, I assure you. The last time that boy sunk his blade into your flesh, he intentionally tried to spare your life. This time however, he made no such attempt. I'm a part of you, whether you acknowledge that fact or not, and I can guarantee that from where you're sitting, it doesn't look pretty."

Soul took a shallow breath, knowing deep down that the little bastard was right. As if imprinted in his mind, he could _still _feel the aches of his physical wounds, even in the subconscious space that was the Black Room. The strike this time had been different, the pain it caused was on an entirely different level. He clearly remembered as the chunk of steel embedded itself into his body, the excruciating pain it delivered to him. And as he dwelt on those feelings and emotions, he started to remember everything else that had happened as well. How he had gotten into that predicament in the first place, the entire battle, Leon's last words, his final thoughts...about...

"Maka..." he uttered quietly.

The sound of the meister's name changed the little ogre's demeanor almost immediately. As if Soul had just spoken blasphemy, he switched instantly into a brooding beast, jumping up from the rungs of his stool only to stand atop the seat of his chair and point his finger at the boy as the words rumbled from deep within his throat.

"_That_ woman! _She_ is the cause of this!"

"Watch your mouth!" Soul bellowed back, fury rushing into his chest as he jumped to his feet.

"If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be in the mess right now!"

"That's a _fucking_ lie!"

"You know it's true! If she could stand up for _herself_, you wouldn't have to pull a prince charming and come to her rescue! If she had _ended_ the fight, you wouldn't have to put your life in danger just to stay with her! If she had actually _helped_ her weapon, you wouldn't be face down in the dirt right now with a **_sword_** **_sticking through your_ _heart!"_**

Soul reeled for a second at those last few words the ogre shouted out, his eyes widened in disbelief as their meaning quickly sunk in. At first he didn't believe the demon. He just assumed it was another one of his tricks to lose his cool and fall into the insanity that he tempted him with ever so frequently. But as he stood there and stared at him, he could tell from the fire and anger in his eyes that the little man was all too serious about what he said. Soul could feel his stomach churn at the thought of an injury of that magnitude.

"...He stabbed me through the heart?"

"Yes, well..." The little ogre said calmly, quickly returning back to his mellowed self as he fiddled with his tie. "...not directly, but even a passing glance is enough to cause one to kick the bucket, as they say."

Those calm words coming from the little demon struck a chord with Soul and slowly he fell back into his chair, grasping the aching spot on his chest with his hand. It all made sense now, how he could still feel the pain in even the secluded place. He wan't just injured, he was _dying_. Which meant that, even in the safety of his own mind, he would soon be swallowed up whole. Permanently.

"It didn't help that you exacerbated the situation with your little fit, mind you." the ogre added off handedly, jumping off his stool and landing with a soft thud. "That was not the smartest move."

"How long do I have?" Soul asked in a detached voice, eyes staring blankly at the red and black tiles on the floor.

The little ogre shrugged. "How should I know? I'm no god. I only know as much as you do."

"HOW LONG DAMMIT! I KNOW YOU KNOW!"

"Quite honestly, this time, I don't." The demon sighed, a palm to his face. "But if I had to say, and I'm assuming that you're _forcing _me to at this point, it would probably be in the area of around two minutes."

Soul's head shot up, eyes twisted in fear. "Two _minutes?"_

_"_At the most, actually. You have metal sticking out of your heart, Evans. What would you expect? Hours?"

Soul sunk into the depths of his chair and grabbed his face, peeking through the slits between his fingers as he processed everything. It was strange being told how long you had left to live, the sensation it brought was indescribable. He was terrified at the prospect at dying obviously, of not being able to live out the rest of his life. At the same time, the thought of his friends losing him and the sadness it would bring them made him feel incredibly guilty about losing the way he did. Over some prideful fight that could have been entirely avoided. He always figured it would've been an accident on his motorcycle, or a well placed Maka-Chop that'd do him in. Not like this. He never planned for this to happen.

He thought of Black Star and Tsubaki. Of Kid, Liz, and Patti. All of them his friends, and all of them his family. They may have been dysfunctional, but they were the most important people in his life. More important than all those dam fan girls that kept sending him letters at school. More important than that renounced family of his that he dare not take their name, except maybe his brother Wes, but he hadn't seen him in years. And then there were those two girls who mattered the most to him. Blair, but only because she was his pet and he'd grown attached to her over the years, despite the fact she tried to molest him every other night. And then Maka...yeah, she was definitely important to him. The most important. And now she'd never get the chance to know that.

He sucked in air at the thought of not being able to keep his promise to her, of not being able to talk to her about their little moment together. It was painful to realize, but he knew that it was never going to happen. At least, not the way things were headed. He knew that the ogre had a plan, but he was wary as to whether to use it or not. There was always a catch, always a stipulation, and he shuddered to think what it would be this time. With such a grave situation on his hands, it probably wasn't going to be something he would enjoy.

Soul clasped his fingers together and ran his hand along his face, taking a deep breath as he collected his thoughts, trying to stay cool. "I'm assuming you have an idea?"

The little ogre's brow rose, a look of annoyance rather than interest. "Obviously."

"Well then what is it!" Soul growled, the temper returning in his voice.

An amused smile appeared on the red man's face. "It's painfully simple, Evans. Just use the Black Blood to heal your wounds. Then use the power it gives you to defeat this Leon character. It's all very obvious at this point, and quite frankly I'm surprised at how rattled you are by all this. Usually you're so calm, so collected, so...distasteful!"

A scornful half-chuckle came from Soul's throat as he looked up to the ceiling, staring at no place in particular. "What's the catch?"

"No catch."

Soul's head snapped back to face the little man, his eyes twisted to reveal the full brunt of his fury. The thought of being jerked around only moments before his supposed death sent him into a blind rage, forcing him to stand up and march his way over to the demon. The ogre merely stood there grinning as Soul grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air, tiny legs dangling as his long arms fell far below them, almost touching the ground even though he was so far up.

"_Don't _fuck with me! I'm not in the mood for your crap!" Soul barked, shaking the ogre a little as he did. "What is the catch!"

The demon's eyes half closed in complacency, his lips still curled into a grin. "Like I said, there is no catch_"_

Soul's eyes narrowed as he brought his face closer to the evil little figure's, their noses almost touching. "There is _always _a catch with you."

"Not when I'm _this _close to being erased, there isn't!"

With relative ease, the ogre worked himself free of Soul's grasp and fell back down to the ground. He dusted himself off and, picking up on Soul's genuine confusion, crossed his arms in annoyance as he looked back up at his host. The grin he wore seconds ago gave way to an intolerable sneer and he tapped his foot in impatience.

"You do realize that if you die, _I _die?" he said, shaking his head. "Don't mistake the concern for my own well being with sympathy for you. This is purely business, Soul."

"So what, that's it?" the scythe replied, shoving his hands deeply into the pockets of his pinstripe slacks. "No deals? No tricks?"

The little demon shook his head, a tired smile on his face. "Nothing of the sort. Any time spent arguing with you over the details of such an agreement would be put to much better use saving our lives. There is, however, one word of caution I'd like to instill in you."

Soul's brow raised. "And what would that be?"

The little ogre began to walk past Soul rather calmly, making his way towards the grande piano. Sliding himself into the tiny chair that sat right next to it, he threw his leg over the other and put his hands in his lap, a rarely seen serious look plastered to his face.

"The Black Blood will heal you, but it's no ambrosa. When you return to your senses outside, the pain will be unbearable until you're fully healed. The process will take some time and until you reach the peak of your strength, you will be completely open to attacks. I suggest that you don't do anything brash like you did earlier in the fight, for both our sakes."

Listening to him for once, Soul thought about the demon's words in silent contemplation. His movements would be hindered and he wouldn't be able to do much for a few minutes, but at least he would still be alive. That was the most important thing. The guilt within him suddenly receded and the thought of keeping his promise to Maka didn't seem all that impossible anymore. He was still wary of any tricks his associate might pull, but the opportunity was to great to pass up. He had to take it.

Eyes fixed in solid determination, he made his way to the piano. The demon watched in fascination as Soul came to the instrument, going around the side so as to slide into place.

"Pussy footing around the situation wouldn't be very cool now, would it?" he grinned as he brought his legs in front of him and his arms into place. "I'm doing this in style."

Although wary, the little ogre couldn't contain the winding grin that snaked its way across his face. "As you wish, Evans."

Brining his fingers to the keys, Soul hesitated for a moment as he tried to decide what song to play for the occasion. What melody would fit? What chords would he strike? The sheer amount to choose from was boggling but he had no time think about it, the seconds whittling down faster than either of them would like. He let his pointer finger fall on a random key, and he heard a familiar sound. One that always eased the situations when he played during Kishin fights, or when he tried to bring Maka out of her fits of self doubt. His teeth flashed in an unnaturally large grin. He had found it.

The perfect melody within his reach, he brought himself back into position. Sucking in air one last time, he sent his fingers crashing into the ivory keys below. The piece he chose was dark, brooding, tempestuous, and perfect; Lyapunov's Transcendental Etude No. 6, "Storm". The notes came racing from his fingers, the sheer speed of his movements turning them to blurs as the music came thundering from the piano in an assortment of gloomy strokes. His eyes glazed as the work consumed him, every thought fading from him as the playing became instinctual, quick, and emotional. He felt the grin fade from his face, every muscle soon focused into his wondrous piece. Monstrous Thunder. Torrents of Rain. Gusts of wind. All could be felt within that Dark Room of his. Everything could be heard.

With every other thought gone as he played with all his heart, one thought still lingered. The appreciation for that one key, even though his piece didn't call for it. It was his muse, his inspiration, and just as it had compelled him to play in the past, so too did it give him the push he needed in the present.

It was her key. It was their key.

_G_

* * *

><p>"Stein!" The blonde teacher gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth, trembling as the sight registered with her senses. "Stein!"<p>

"I know, Marie!" the professor replied hastily as he threw off his lab coat. "Dammit, how could I have become so complacent?"

"This is no time for analysis of the situation, Stein!" Spirit chided as his body instantly started to glow, transforming into a black handled scythe in the air.

"I know!" Stein repeated, grabbing a hold of the weapon and instantly making his way across the desert sands, running as fast as his feet could carry him. "Dammit, I know!"

His thoughts swirled as to how things could have happened so quickly. Leon was so quick, so well trained, but he thought that he had it all figured out. From his distant viewing spot, Stein thought he had mapped out all of Leon's strengths and weaknesses. For instance, he knew the reason why the Demon Pata was faster when he used his left hand. The hilt was higher up, resulting in a blade with less overall length, and comparatively less drag as well. Stein also surmised that he wasn't physically strong either, and had to compensate by putting all of his focus on speed and disorienting his opponents. All of this the professor picked up on with little to no effort, and yet, he still let something slip by his ever twitching fingers.

What had he done wrong? Was he too focused? Was he not focused enough? Was Marie the problem? Was Spirit? Was _he _the problem? _Why_ couldn't he figure it out? Did somebody not _want_ him to figure it out? Why would they want that! He had to find this person! He had to _kill _them! Where was the bastard at! Where could he be? Where could he possibly-!

"...Stein?"

The professor snapped back to his senses, sweat dripping down the bridge of his nose as his run had slowed to a jog. His mind reeled for a moment as he quickened his pace back up again, the three children still far away from their position.

"Well, that was interesting, Senpai..." Stein heaved as he burst back into a full sprint, weakened slightly by the ordeal. "...I'm sure you could feel what was happening to me."

"You better be careful!" The scythe called out from behind him. "There's insanity in the area and it's coming from somewhere nearby. You were being affected by it."

Stein closed his eyes as he let the hot desert air rush past him, letting it wipe away at the sweat that lined his face. He had to remain calm in situations like these, especially when he knew exactly where the insanity was coming from. He was in control with himself. He was at ease.

"I know, Spirit. I know."

* * *

><p>It was so unbearably hot out there. So, so hot. It wasn't the sun's fault though. It wasn't the sand's fault either. Or the sky's. Or anyone's for that matter. Except for him. It was his fault. He was the cause of this heat, of this fire burning deep within her. It was <em>his <em>fault. It was _all _his fault, and she hated him with a deep, passionate scorn from every corner of her heart and every fiber of her being.

She never hated anyone before that day, but she certainly hated him now.

_"HE'S MY WEAPON!"_ she screamed as tears ran down her face, another left hook of hers connecting with his stomach. _"HE'LL ALWAYS BE MINE!"_

The stoic boy stood there as he took the brunt of her strikes. It had been like that since she first got there. The moment he had taken the sword from Soul Eater's back and turned around, her fist was there to greet him. Every slap, kick, and punch to the face he took silently. Maka hit him on every corner of his body, but nothing seemed to faze him. There was no response from him, no matter what she did. Only the cold blue eyes of his seemed to give any sense of acknowledgement, any sign of humanity.

"_YOU CAN'T EVER CHANGE THAT!" _Maka continued as she threw another punch his way._ "I WON'T ACCEPT IT! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I WON'T-!"_

"-I'm sorry." Leon called back to her as he caught her punch easily, catching the meister completely off guard. "Maka, I'm sorry. But he's not your partner. Not anymore."

She shook her head and tried to pull her hand away in desperation, her words noticeably weaker as she struggled. "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that! I'll beat you and-!"

**"MAKA!" **he roared as he jolted her, immediately hushing the girl up.

She stood there and stared at him, her arms still in the air and wrist still grasped by his hand. Through watery eyes Maka noticed the look on his face. It was angry, hurt, but most of all cruel. Like his emotions had been pushed to the breaking point, and all he could feel was bitterness. But she didn't care about his feelings at the moment, only for Soul's wellbeing. With a quick struggle, Maka pulled herself from Leon's grasp and let herself fall to the ground where her partner lay battered and beaten.

Leon just stood there, eyes closed in rejection of the scene before him. Maka ran her hand along Soul's back, gently running her fingers along the edges of the gruesome holes in his flesh. With wide eyes and a heavy heart, she slowly turned his limp body over, praying that in the next few seconds she'd hear him bark at her to get away because it hurt, or make a cool comment like he always did and casually brush off his wounds. He never did.

"S-soul...!" she heaved, tears running down her face as his face came into view. "Oh please, God! Soul, no!"

His jaw hung open, dagger-like teeth laid out for all to see. Blood pooled at the base of his mouth from the gash in his cheek and his face was covered in cuts and bruises, all of them filled and covered with sand. Blood dripped from his nose in steady amounts, trickling down his lips and into the pool below. But she lost it with his eyes. Those blank, white eyes of his. There were no color to them, no sense of being. They were windows into the empty husk of a body that lay before her, no sense of life detectable anywhere within them. No longer those of a cool boy, but of a dead man.

"Don't!...don't you...!" Maka choked, hand trembling above the open gash in his heart. She couldn't finish the sentence.

Instead, the inconsolable girl wrapped her arms around the lifeless body and brought him on top of her knees. From there, she lay her forehead on top of his, tears flowing down from her face to his cheeks as they washed away the sand from his wounds. With her hand she closed his slack jaw, then brushed it along his ragged cheeks. Shaking her head against his, she silently denied the outcome of the battle. There was no way Soul could have lost. There was no way he was...

Maka brought her head up as the water continued to flow from her face. She was desperate. She decided to do the last thing she could, the last thing she wanted to. Reaching from behind her, she pulled out one of her books, the same one she had used on him earlier. Maka hovered it above his head and, with no strength behind it, let it fall on his forehead. It rolled off his face and onto the ground, making a pathetic thud as it did. Then it became silent again.

"It's over, Maka." Leon called to her, eyes looking away from the scene.

The meister shook her head in denial weakly and took Soul's face in her hands. She wasn't going to leave him. She was _never _going to leave him. Without even thinking she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, as if confirming her promise. The she put her forehead back against his and peered back into his soulless eyes again, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Soul Eater." she whispered to her weapon.

Moments passed. Nothing happened. Until about a minute later, from the very corners of his eyes, Maka noticed something. Her heart skipped as a flicker of light returned to those bleached eyes, a slight twinge of red color returning to them. She stopped crying when she realized that the empty husk in front of her started to creak with movement, his chest moving up ever so slowly. Gazing into his eyes, she saw the iris' return to them, along with the sense of comprehension and consciousness. Maka burst into an ever winding grin as she looked down at Soul in her arms, the thought of him alive bringing her completely around.

His eyes turned to hers and, for a moment, the two of them locked together in time. All the pain, all the fighting, everything paled in comparison to the moment they shared in that brief little second in time. It was just them, their commitment to each other keeping them together even after injuries like the ones he had. Maka was enthralled...until Soul's eyes suddenly turned wild with what looked like pain. Their moment broken, she could nothing for him as he suddenly went from silent to screaming. Her heart sank into her stomach. Something was wrong.

When Leon was alerted to Soul's newfound consciousness he immediately peeled around, but it was already too late. He caught sight of Maka as she was pushed back by the force of a rabid Soul jumping up, the death-scythe's arms dangling uselessly as he ran towards him. Leon was caught completely off guard as Soul closed the gap between them in mere seconds, their heads careening towards each other's as he charged at him. Connecting, the Demon Pata was sent flying backwards, falling into the sand as Soul recoiled from the force of the impact.

"Soul, what are you doing! Stop it!" Maka shrilled, completely overwhelmed with fear and worry.

But he didn't listen to her. Or Leon as he roared in agony from the blow to his head. All he did was stand there in his spot up there on the sand dune. hunched over as he panted like a dog. His eyes were wild and distant. Soul wasn't in control. His chest started to convulse as he sucked in air erratically, and immediately he threw his head back into the air. Screaming a deafening scream that seemed like it would never end, Maka was helpless as she was forced to listen to the call. It was so full of pain. And fear.

So full of insanity.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N: <strong>V-ee-ola. Hope you like it

Quite honestly, I have to call Aquatwin out on this one. Thanks for guessing my plot ahead of time jerk! (Just kidding, I thought it was hilarious that you did though lol)

If anyone's interested, yes, Lyapunov's Transcendental Etude No. 6 "Storm" is an actual piece, and I highly recommend googling it in the video section. It's wonderful and it fits Soul pretty well I think.

Chapter 5 is a given, and I shall not let my readers down. However, Prom is this Saturday, so I probably won't be updating then, or the the following morning for that matter. At least it'll give me more time to review over my work instead of rushing to make the deadline like this one lol


	5. The Devil's Water Ain't so Sweet

**Training Days**

**by. **Lacrow

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

_The Devil's Water Ain't So Sweet_

* * *

><p>As the duo's fists missed their one target and plummeted to the sand beneath them, the force of the impacts caused the earth itself to cascade into the air with each unplaced hit. Plumes of dirt rose from the desert sands, each one reaching higher than the last. Leon teeth clenched as he rushed into the air and dove towards the lunatic scythe in a last ditch effort to stop him from rampaging, both of his arms fully formed into blades as he spearheaded towards him. Soul's head stayed locked in place as his body did all the moving, quickly sidestepping to the left as Leon crashed into the sands yet again. Another plume formed. Followed by insane cackles.<p>

_"You should pay attention!"_

The death-scythe swiveled around and found Stein right next to him, readying another blast of concentrated soul wavelength. The professor wasted no time as he grabbed the boy's bleach white hair and pulled his head in, thrusting his own arm deep into the weapon's stomach. A banshee shriek filled the air, along with the electric-like arcs of blue soul energy that seemed to radiate in all directions. Stein didn't let up. Again he pulled the arm back and again he channeled raw energy into the insane former self of Soul Evans, the scythe's eyes twirling in their sockets as he screamed in agony.

"Leon! Get up and secure him!" Stein roared over the sound of his own assault, words almost inaudible as screams filled the air. "Before he recovers agai-!"

His orders interrupted, Stein's sentence was cut short as Soul's eyes flickered back into place. The wicked grin he had earlier returned with a vengeance and, without warning, he suddenly broke free from his torture and jumped onto his teacher, sinking his sharp fangs into the base of his neck. Stein's soul resonance with himself quickly halted as the pain shot down his body and the air left his lungs. He stood there, trembling, as his student sunk his teeth deeper into his neck. Finally mustering up the strength to utter a few hoarse shrills, Stein grabbed at the boy's back and tried to pry him off.

"Soul! G-get...get the hell off of me!" he gasped, pulling ever harder at the back of his shirt.

The meister gathered his quickly depleting energy as best he could. He grabbed the back of Soul's jacket tightly and pulled with all his force. The harder he pulled, the harder Soul clamped down. Finally fed up with it and losing control of the situation fast, Stein took his hand and grasped the back of they boy's head. In an all or nothing attempt, Stein poured the remainder of his power into a full powered blast. Electricity arcing through finger tips, the professor sent a thundering bolt of energy directly into his head.

The smell of burnt hair. A horrific scene of electrically torched flesh. Helpless squeals from one of his own. It was a sensory overload that the weakened teacher just couldn't comprehend at the time. Soul released his grip immediately. The damage had been done. Falling backwards as the smoke poured from every inch of his head, he landed with a soft thud into the sand underneath him.

Stein stood over the lunatic for a moment. His knees trembled. His wound ached. The assault on his senses still poked deeply as his core. Then, slowly, Stein mimicked his students actions. As his head reeled, so too did he fall backwards into the sand. And as the thud of him landing soon disappeared from the air, the only thing left was the tense silence it left behind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>...Twenty Minutes Earlier...<strong>_

* * *

><p>"Don't do this, Soul!"<p>

He didn't notice her at all, still engaged in his primal screech that seemed to go on forever. Soul's body heaved from lack of air, but somehow the sound still continued to reverberate from his lungs. The sight was terrifying, but there was no time to succumb to it. Throwing caution to the wind, Maka burst into a full speed sprint towards her weapon. She hoped it wasn't too late.

"S-soul! Stop it, please!"

She panted as quickly the gap between them closed. Her heart was racing from work and adrenaline and she tried desperately to calm herself, but the sights and sounds that met her as she approached him made things even worse. Maka's spirits sank as she stood over him, the weapon completely oblivious to her presence. Soul continued his own self-induced torture, the pain clearly visible on his marred and twisted face.

"Stop it!"

Still no response came from him. Maka watched in sorrow and pity as he fell to his knees, his breath becoming shallow. He could scream no more, but not of his own accord. The oxygen had long since left him and instead all he could do was move his chest, trying desperately to continue as if the insanity fueling his actions was forcing him to. The sight sickened his partner, her pity quickly turning into fury over the sad state she found him in. Maka wanted him to stop. He would've wanted her to make him stop as well, and the meister already had it in her mind she would oblige.

"I. Said._ **STOP IT!**"_

The book came out of nowhere, just as it always did. With all the force she could muster she brought the spine directly on his head to beat some sense into him. Soul shuddered, the force of the hit quickly snapping him out of his demented loop. He turned his head slowly to meet her eyes, blinking a few times as he seemed to partially regain some of his sanity. Maka looked down on him, eyes resolute though hazy. She desperately waited for a reply, anything. Something that would prove to her that he was still there, that he wasn't just some demon who masqueraded as the boy she cared for.

Luckily, her prayers were answered. With a heave, he coughed up as the air returned to him. His eyes softened and they grew wide, a small glimmer of realization reflected in his face. His fingers curled in the sand as his mouth parted, voice raspy as the words wheezed from the back of his throat.

"...Maka?"

Expression easing a bit, Maka gave him a tiny smile. "Welcome back."

"...What'd I do this time?" Soul looked away from her, severing their eye contact in fear of her noticing the broken expression on his face.

She shook her head. "Nothing yet. You should be glad I stopped you before you could."

He didn't reply. Soul just knelt there on the ground, staring out in front of him. Maka shifed uneasily, thinking that the realization of him losing control over his own body was too much for him to swallow. She came closer and stood behind him, gently putting her hand on his shoulder as she waited patiently for him to come fully around. His shoulders tensed up at her touch. He wasn't completely free from the madness, but she wasn't afraid of him. He was her weapon, _her _responsibility. Maka just waited there as his muscles relaxed on their own, letting him slowly adjust to her.

"Where's Leon?" he asked quietly

Maka's eyes quickly widened at his inquiry. Where _was _Leon? He had taken a blow to the head a minute before, did that mean he was passed out somewhere? Her stomach churned a bit as the realization of her words from earlier slowly sunk in._ He won't go down that easily. _Wasn't that what she had said? And hadn't she been right? The thought of a pissed off Leon frightened her. Not because of what his reaction might be, but because of what Soul's reaction would be when he saw him.

She watched her words carefully. "He's not here."

"Where is he then?"

"I don't know, Soul."

He snapped his head back, looking up at her through blood red eyes. They vibrated slightly, as if an indication of his unstable mind. "Tell me, Maka! I need to know!"

Maka held her breath. "I really don't know..."

She tightened her grip on his shoulder, fearing he might soon lose it again. He continued to stare up at her, not even so much as blinking. Then, as if being alerted by some unknown sign, Soul darted his eyes back in front of him. Maka sighed to herself in relief, thinking that Soul was merely focusing on non-existent clues as to Leon's whereabouts. However, when she felt his muscles become very tight and his head cock slightly to the side, Maka knew that her worst fears had been realized. He had found Leon.

Out from the scenic view of dirt and cactus' came the unmistakable image of a boy emerging from the sands. Half buried by the earth, the silt fell from his body as he rose up. Leon rubbed his forehead as he stumbled from the area. His feet wobbled underneath him as he slowly started to walk, but overall he remained relatively unhurt. He took a few steps before realizing he was being watched, then warily he brought his head up to see who it was.

"Didn't expect you to be up and about so soon. You death-scythes are just full of surprises." he grinned from the corner of his mouth, still very cautious of the opponent in front of him.

"**_You!_**_" _Soul hissed, body trembling as he hurriedly rose to his feet. Maka tried desperately to keep him from getting up, but to no avail. "**_I'm gonna break your neck!"_**

His partner could hear the harshness in his voice and the darkness that fueled it. It pained her to admit it and she desperately didn't want to, but Maka knew that there was nothing more she could do for him. He came up quickly and took a few steps forward, again ignoring her as he devoted all of his attention to the Demon Pata.

Leon tried his best to remain calm. "And why would you do that?"

_"**Stop FUCKING with me! You know what you did!**"_ Soul roared as he brought his arm across his chest and pointed at the hole in his jacket. _"**You stabbed me right through the fucking HEART!**"_

Maka's eyes widened, realizing something as she stood behind him and watched. Where was the hole in his back? There wasn't anything there! His shirt was tattered and the hole was still clearly present in his jacket, but there were no wounds. She clearly remembered them being there not even two minutes ago, but then again, how long had they been there? And how was he moving his arm all of a sudden! Was it the Black Blood in his veins? Was it speeding his recovery? It still didn't explain how he had healed so quickly! What was going on?

From his spot some twenty feet away, Leon's face contorted into what looked like confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't stab you through the heart! Are you insane?"

A wicked grin spread across Soul's face. Leon was taken aback by the sudden zeal his opponent displayed and he took a step back. There was a terrifying feeling in the back of his mind that the scythe was quickly losing control of himself, and he was not going to take any chances on the matter. The Pata's arm quickly flashed at his side, transforming into a blade soon after. He let it hang loose, still unsure if he was actually going to need it or not.

"**_You really wanna know if I'm insane?"_**

Maka's heart sank as Soul brought his arms out in front of him, letting them morph into steel before everyone's eyes. The metal didn't have the usual gleam to them and it seemed dull, the usually silver parts turned a horrid gray. She wanted to reach out to him, to save him from the darkness mounting inside that morphed his very being, but Maka knew that it wasn't possible. She was left powerless as her friend and partner brought the scythes behind him, crouching into the perfect position for a sprint.

"**_Taste my blade, and tell me what you think!"_**

Leon stood firm in his place as Soul took off from his spot, the sheer force of his start-off causing the sand to whip up and blow into Maka's face. The latter brought her arms in front of her to shield her from the debris, trying desperately to keep her eyes on him. Leon swallowed as he transformed his other arm into a blade, quickly bringing the newly formed weapon across his other in an x-formation in front of him.

"Dammit, Soul Eater! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Leon roared as the scythe approached his blades. "I never stabbed you there!"

With speed equivalent to that of his opponent, Soul quickly appeared in front of him. Blades poised to strike, the death-scythe rushed Leon in a frenzy. "**_You're a fucking LIAR!"_**

Squaring his stance and bending his knees, Leon held his ground as Soul came crashing into him. An audible clang of metal came from their blades, followed by their grunts as they fought for dominance. Leon pushed forward as he drove his feet, Soul fighting him off with the strength of his arms. Neither let up intentionally, but soon Leon was forced to. The longer their weapon-selves touched, the more Soul's blade dug into his own. It was as if his steel had become much sharper in the past few minutes, and he quickly had to concede before losing the weapon completely.

"Fine, call me a liar!" Leon shouted to his opponent as he brought his to foot to the latter's chest. "It won't change the truth!"

Kicking him off his own assault, Leon sent Soul backwards as he bought himself time to recover. The Demon Scythe fumbled a bit, not expecting the counter, but he didn't lose his focus. Quickly regaining sense of himself, the mad weapon came lurching forward again as Leon hurriedly readied his defenses. Neither had enough time to finish their actions though, because as quickly as they started, the sudden presence of a person between them caught the pair completely off guard.

Mid-motion, Soul looked over the interrupting body with wild eyes, quickly finding that it was teacher and mentor. He flashed his teeth at the interrupter. With little reason present in his thoughts anymore, Soul brought both of his blades forward and hoped to get rid of this added threat to his plans. Stein merely stood in front of him, wielding his death-scythe behind his back in a preparatory stance.

"That's enough, Soul!" Stein bellowed at him as the scythes came for his head, gripping the hilt of his weapon tighter.

"Get a hold of yourself!" his partner added.

"_**Everyone shut up!"**_

With intent to kill in his motions, Soul aimed to finish things. Scythes closing in quickly towards his face, the professor took immediate action. He spun his own scythe around in front of him, fingers dancing along the hilt as he flawlessly executed the maneuver. The butt of the shaft was banged against the ground as he concluded, resulting in the uniform shouts of the two participants. Soul Resonance.

Streaks of silvery ectoplasm emerged from Spirit's weapon form, balling up and mounting quickly as the form of a ghastly and ghoulish figure became more and more visible. Soul's blades connected with the mass, his attack being completely absorbed by the continually growing form. The ectoplasm crept up his weapon arm as he fought wildly to resist it, only to be sucked in even faster as the image of a misshapen ghost became completely reflected in the stuff. By the time everything was finished, Soul was in the belly of the beast with Stein, suspended in the plasm as the latter stood unfazed in an untouched spot. The death-scythe was trapped.

"What should we do with him?" Spirit asked, still stuck partially in the sand.

"Not now, senpai." Stein hushed him quickly, eyes narrowed at the suspended weapon in front of him.

Confused, Spirit looked on from his subconscious space. Behind them stood Leon, mouth agape in awe at the strange sight before him. In front of them, the gaze of a frozen-in-place Soul Eater met his eyes, the look on his face being a mix of shock and anger. Ever so slowly, the student began to twitch in the goo. First his fingers, then his foot, and soon his entire body started squirming. It was all very slight and he still seemed relatively restrained, but Spirit knew that it was not going to last forever. He would eventually free himself of his prison.

"Spirit..." Stein said in a low tone. He pulled the scythe out of the sand and held it gently in his hands. "Listen carefully."

The death-scythe could sense his meister's sentiments and intentions clearly. Without a word, he immediately changed back into his human form as Stein released him. Landing on his feet, the weapon stayed obediently in his place as he looked with concern at his partner.

"What is it?"

Stein adjusted his glasses. "I want you to stay out of the fight. When the plasm gives way, go to your daughter. Stay with her, comfort her, do something. Just stay away from here, and let me handle it."

"Why would you want me to do that?" Spirit replied, taking a step back. "You need me, Stein! You honestly expect me to leave you alone with _him_?"

He motioned to the now writhing weapon suspended in the goo. Soul's movements were getting more noticeable and slowly the mass started to give way to his struggle.

"The insanity is coming from Soul, meaning that the longer we fight, the more of a chance that I'll succumb to it. If I start to lose control, and I'm wielding you, who knows what could happen? It'd be safer for everyone involved if I did this myself."

Maka's father looked at his partner, then at his daughter's weapon. The young scythe's legs started to kick violently as his confinement started to loosen, his arms thrashing just as wildly. The muscles in his face twitched in anticipation as his lips parted into an evil grin, eyes flashing a threatening, demented look.

Spirit shifted uncomfortably. "I still don't think you should go in alone."

"Caring for me, senpai? I'm touched." Stein chuckled, looking back to find his weapon's eyes narrowed at him. "I won't be doing this alone, of course. Leon will assist me. The two of us will handle this quickly."

"You sure?"

The sloshing sounds of falling liquid forced the two to divert their eyes back to Soul. He had broken his arm through the inner wall of the ectoplasm and, his right hand free, began to claw around the hole he created. Pieces began to fall off in bulk and the material itself seemed to weaken. As it fell to the ground the mass turned to liquid instantly then after a few seconds, evaporated into nothingness. Very quickly the wall itself began to break down, leaving an ever growing window for Soul to soon climb out from.

Stein slid his feet into position as he crouched into a battle ready stance. "There's no time to think about it, Spirit. You know what to do."

Spirit nodded as the scene quickly shifted in front of him. The walls came crashing down around him, the ectoplasm finally reaching its breaking point as Soul ripped at it meticulously. With the small window of opportunity that was allowed him, the older death-scythe turned and ran towards his daughter as he left his partner to deal with the weapon that came rushing towards him. Throwing a glance over his shoulders as he ran, Spirit saw Stein parry his student's strikes with electrically charged fists, eyes intense as he read every move that came his way.

"Leon!" he yelled out to the Demon Pata as he ran in the opposite direction. "Get in there and help Stein fix this mess you made!"

From across the desert sands, the previously inactive weapon suddenly popped to attention at the sound of his name. Leon didn't know this person who was yelling at him, nor did he particularly know who Stein was, but he could figure soundly that he was the teacher who was fighting Soul. Not wanting to be blamed for the situation nor left out the action, he gave a self directed nod of confirmation. He brought out his arm blades and immediately set out with his incredible speed, dashing with a newfound sense of vigor.

"I'm coming, Stein!" Leon shouted out as he ran, assuming that the gray haired man was the one he was referring to.

Stein blocked a swipe from one of Soul's blades, only to have blood drip from the fresh cut it made onto his steel. "Make it quick, Camp!"

Roaring as if in acknowledgement, the young Pata did his signature jump into the air, bringing his arms in as he spiraled towards his target. Soul was too busy to notice the quickly approaching weapon flying towards him, opting instead to continue pounding away at the target in front of him. Stein dodged jab after jab, swipe after swipe, trying to buy enough time for Leon as he came in for a landing. After coming close to pegging Stein in the chest, Soul opened his mouth to say something but was quickly hushed by a whistling sound behind him. Bewildered, he turned around to see what it was, only to watch in shock as Leon came crashing towards him.

With barely enough time to blink, the force of the blow caused the two opponents to slam into the ground, a giant plume of sand forming from the sheer magnitude of the impact. Stein stayed motionless as the wind rattled his hair, remaining calm even though he knew that at any moment Soul would probably jump up and continue his assault. Sure enough, a moment after the dust settled and the gusts calmed, the unmistakable images of Soul and Leon emerged. The scythe had Leon by the throat, somehow having caught him mid-air during the attack. Stein gaped at the sheer strength that the Black Blood awarded him, but there was no time to ponder.

"That's enough, Soul Eater!" he screamed at his student, quickly charging a Soul Menace attack as he blitzed towards him.

Soul shook Leon as he clamped down on his throat, completely oblivious to the other opponent as he took sadistic pleasure in hearing the Pata's grunts and rasps. It wasn't until Stein came within a foot of him did he spare a glance his way, but it was already too late. A blue lightning infused fist came as an uppercut into his stomach, sending Soul flying backwards as his grip on Leon was released. The scythe skidded on his side along the sand, kicking up debris until he came to sudden halt. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Stein held out his hand to his other downed student, the latter quickly taking him up at the offer.

"Thank you, sir." Leon wheezed, rubbing his throat.

"Don't thank me, just fight. I want to finish this with as little collateral as possible." Stein replied coldly.

"Understood."

Quickly returning their attention back to their target, they watched as Soul hopped back to his feet with relative ease. Seemingly not fazed by the hit at all, the possessed boy cocked his head to the side. Eyes clear, the tell-tale signs of reason and humanity had long since left them. Instead, the posture and behaviors of an animal replaced them, Soul crouched into his now overused posture. He stared directly at them as if taunting them to come at him. The duo looked at each other and decided silently that they would take him up on the offer. Readying themselves for a moment before breaking apart in a pincer formation, Stein and Leon rushed towards their mark. They hoped to finish things in around five minutes.

* * *

><p><strong><em>...Twenty Minutes Later...Present Time...<em>**

* * *

><p>Spirit stood there awkwardly with his daughter at the other end of the field. They had been observing the entire battle together for the past half hour or so, and the entire time he had tried to console her. The only problem was she was inconsolable. Not because his daughter was distraught, far from it. Maka was a rock that could not be budged. She stood there with him, albeit it silently, and had glued her eyes faithfully to her partner the entire duration of his rampage. Spirit tried to fulfill his fatherly duties to her, but as always that goal seemed so far out of reach. She didn't need him at the moment, then again she <em>never <em>really needed him. Still, that fact didn't seem to keep him from trying.

"M-maka? Angel?" he asked timidly as he gazed at her through the corners of his eyes.

"What is it." she replied flatly, eyes still glued to the fight.

A rock formed in the father's throat. That tone of her's made his blood run cold, but there was no way he could chicken out on her. He had to scrounge what little dignity he had and be a responsible parent. If not for the sake of maintaining their already strange relationship, then at least to comfort her. Even if she didn't want to be comforted.

He cleared his throat. "You know I'm here for you, right...?"

The scythe berated himself over and over again in his head. He had already said that at least twice already, and he doubted she wanted him to say it again. His palms sweat out rivers. What else could he say? He wasn't good at stuff like this! Maybe if he put her arm around her and hugged her? No, that would only piss her off. Dammit! What to do, what to do-

"-I know, papa."

Spirit's eyes forced open, quickly turning his head towards her. She didn't dare look at her father, but Maka had done the next best thing. She had acknowledged his attempts, and that was all he could ask for as a father. The confidence inside him mounted and he felt assured enough to carry on with the conversation.

At the same time, however, his heart sank a bit when he caught her expression. Maka's brows were stoic and strong, but her eyes were the exact opposite. They seemed so distant, so sad. It was as if on the outside she seemed to be keeping a strong upper lip, while deep down she was being ripped in two. Spirit couldn't help but think of his ex-wife when he saw this. The second she broke up with him, that face was there to greet him. Kami had been so hurt she could've burst into tears, but she had to be strong, both for her dignity and for the sake of her daughter. So, she just bit through it and kicked his sorry ass out the door. He had hoped that he would never see the same look on his daughter's face, but apparently, it was meant to be.

Even more unfortunate still, he knew exactly how to fix things. The one time where he could actually solve one of his daughter's problems, also happened to be the same time where he wanted so desperately not to tell her anything. But, her sadness convinced him otherwise. Sighing to himself as he jammed his fists into his pockets, Spirit looked out in front of him.

"You know the little pervert likes you, right?"

Maka immediately broke her frozen gaze and looked at her father, completely bewildered as to how to respond. She actually thought she heard him wrong. "What?"

"You heard me!" Spirit snorted, his usually gentle demeanor with her turned to a sour annoyance. "Everyone else seems to think so!"

Out from the corners of his eyes, the death-scythe couldn't help but notice the shift in his daughter's mood. The underlying sadness that pervaded her ceased altogether, and was replaced instead with a sort of exuberance that he'd never seen in his daughter before, at least not around him. Maka's sad eyes welled up with tears, but her father knew it wasn't from the aforementioned emotion. It pained him to say it, but Spirit knew that simple thought he had instilled in her was enough to bring her completely around. He sighed to himself mentally. How would he get out of this later?

"...Why are you telling me this?" she asked thickly, taking a deep breath as she looked at her papa.

Spirit ducked his head, grinding his teeth slightly as the words came from his lips. "Because, Maka. You care a lot about him. I just thought that you should know."

"Of course I care about him!" Maka croaked in quick response to his statement. "He's my weapon! My partner! Why wouldn't I care?"

He picked up on her tone and smiled a bit as he went along with her false words. "Well then, if he's your partner, why are you here telling me this? Shouldn't you be out there with him?"

Maka stood there for a moment as the water in her eyes slowly receded, staring at her father with a strange sort of look. He wasn't being an asshole like he usually was, and he was actually bearable enough to talk to this time. Where was the strange papa she loved to hate? Maka didn't have the answer to that, but she knew that whatever was happening it was a good thing.

"Papa, I-"

"-Just get going already." he cut her off, motioning with his head at the fight taking place so far off. "Before I change my mind."

His daughter looked at him for a moment, then at the desert in front of her. He could tell by the way she looked that Maka wasn't sure what to think. But, after a moment of contemplation, she turned her head to him and gave him a very rarely seen smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

Spirit closed his eyes, trying to hide the exuberance that shined through them. "You're welcome, angel."

With those few words, Maka immediately took off towards her partner. She left Spirit there by his lonesome, letting him watch her as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The red headed death-scythe just stood there, sighing to himself as his daughter ran off towards danger. He wasn't worried for her, no more than usual anyway. She was a mesiter. She was his ex-wife's daughter. If anyone could bring Soul Eater around, it was her. Still, he couldn't help but run his fingers through his hair at the thought of that little punk getting anywhere near his precious Maka.

"The hell did I just do?"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N:<strong>

It's 5 in the morning. Out with the stomach flu I guess, but there was no way I was going to miss another deadline. I do it for you guys!

Prom was interesting. Between food poisoning, losing my phone, and my girlfriend getting pissed off at me, it was not a magical night. But, it worked out, so whatever lol

I made sure to make this chapter a long one (due to me not having updated) and no doubt you've noticed a few plot twists in this one. Trust me, I masquerade as a professional. I know what I'm doing :P

I've made it a habit to read all your reviews faithfully. Ya'll are the bread to my butter, thanks for all of your continued support! Chapter 6 is coming soon (I promise I won't make you wait a week for this one)


	6. Revelations and Recoveries

**Training Days**

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

_Revelations and Recoveries_

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><p>He didn't know where he was, only that it was dark. And cold. And silent. That powerful combination of sensations kept his body still, the energy seemingly bleeding from his body as he floated there in the vacuum of his own subconscious. No color at all, only the black inkiness of the space to keep him company. The Black Room was nowhere to be found, nor were any of the objects that he had grown accustomed to. No piano, no record player. Not even a chair.<p>

_"...you wouldn't be face down in the dirt right now with a sword sticking through your heart..."_

Those words started to come to mind. The conversation between the little ogre was fuzzy, most of the words being unmemorable, but then again all of his thoughts were. The shadowy place he found himself in just seemed to mess with his body. He could move around freely, but had no sense of what movement was. Up was down. Right was left. Forwards and backwards were just words that had no meaning in the confusing place. He began to feel queasy.

_"...you have metal sticking out of your heart, Evans..."_

His body felt strange, but the cause was difficult to pinpoint. He could sense the cuts and gashes underneath his formal wear and feel exactly where they were on his skin, but the pain associated with them was strangely absent. Even the giant gaping holes on either side of his body were eerily numb. Soul reached for his hand and pinched the skin; pain shot up his wrist. For some reason, old wounds were ignored in the darkness. What the hell was this place?

_"...use the Black Blood to heal your wounds..."_

Soul looked down at his body. His black suit had suddenly disappeared, leaving behind his jeans, shirt, and jacket. They were all tattered. All ragged. But worst of all, they were drenched with blood. Not only his, but of others around him as well. The red liquid seemed to call to him all the horrific things he had done. Names swirled in his head as the blood echoed in an unspoken language, all of them being those who he had hurt in one form or another. Stein. Marie. Spirit. Leon. Maka...

_"...what's the catch..."_

Slowly his hand started to crawl towards the gaping hole on the left side of his body. He inched ever nearer, gently feeling for the starting point of the wound. Across his sternum. Past the ribs. Towards the heart and...past it. Soul stopped completely. His eyes were stunned as the realization of what this meant slowly sunk in, but he had to confirm it. With sweat starting to drip from his pores, he continued the trek across his chest. An inch apart from where he thought it originally was, Soul found the hole in his body. It was _above_ his left breast, near his shoulder. Just like the other one on his right side.

_"No catch"_

Soul lifted his head back and stared into the abyss the surrounded him from all sides. A look of pain streaked across his face. "There is _always _a catch with you!"

His thoughts reeled and his stomach flipped over itself in sickness. All of a sudden, things became very clear to him. It all made sense now. There wasn't really a hole through his heart. He wasn't really dying. He had succumbed to the darkness for no goddamn reason other than to play puppet to the demon. That little bastard was playing him like an instrument now, getting his jollies by watching Soul give into his branded insanity and hurt all those he cared for. It was all a lie. That ogre. That little, _fucking _ogre.

Running both of his hands through his hair, Soul Eater lost it for a moment. In his rage he pulled his arms in and screamed at the top of his lungs. The call was intended for everyone and no one, but even then, Soul was denied control. The subconscious space seemed to muffle all words and, in this case, screams. Like a musical studio, the volume was absorbed, leaving nothing but a panting white haired boy to float there as the remaining sounds were absorbed. Nothing but silence was left.

He gave a scornful heave as he ran his fingers through his hair. "The fuck am I going to do!"

_"Maybe calm down a bit?"_

Soul's eyes widened at the sound of another voice in the room with him. At first, he thought it was the ogre. Instantly the rage filled back into him and he had a mind to spin around and tear the little bastard limb from limb. But he never got the chance to. Before he could make a motion, Soul could feel someone else's arms lace underneath his own and gently grasp his chest and stomach. His body stiffened from the contact, especially when he felt their head dig into his back softly. The person held on tightly.

_"I've never heard you scream so much before."_

Out of his momentary confusion, Soul quickly knew who's voice it was. His muscles loosened about a degree and let his breathing become steady again. The other person sensed this and relaxed her hold on him as well. The two of them just stood there for a few moments and basked in the presence of the other, neither quite sure what to say further. Then, finally, Soul asked the question.

"How do I know you're really Maka?"

He looked out in front of him and waited patiently for a reply. The voice behind him hesitated for a moment, and he could sense it. The longer he waited, the more he started to doubt it was really his meister. After a certain point, he was very near to turning around and beating the person off of him, but finally a response came.

"_Why wouldn't you think it was me?" _she said, slightly hurt and annoyed.

Soul relaxed a bit, but continued with the questioning. "The ogre tricked me before. How do I know he won't try it again?"

The voice replied quickly this time. _"If he already has what he wanted, why would he try tricking you again?"_

He cringed for a second. That was a very 'Maka' response. Still though, he had already learned the hard way that the demon was very tricky to deal with and could probably lie his way out of anything. Not entirely convinced, he straightened his back and tensed up again. The other person didn't move an inch.

"I don't believe you."

This time, there was no response. Soul took a deep breath and decided that enough was enough and to end this twisted game once and for all. He grabbed the other person's hands and wrenched them from his body. He closed his eyes and spun around, grating his teeth in anticipation as to what he'd find when he opened them. Facing her/him/it, he peeked through one of his eyes and looked on warily.

His heart sank. Standing there in front of him was an ashy blonde girl with deep green eyes. Her white shirt stood out against the black backdrop of the room, the coattails hanging loosely against her black stockings. Her reddish pink tie hung awkwardly to one side as if she had been running and it had jostled around. The look on her face was plain, but he knew that she was upset at him.

"Fine. I'll _make _you believe me." she told him evenly.

Soul twitched ever so slightly, fully expecting a deep searing Maka-Chop to come racing towards his head at any moment. But as he closed his eyes and waited for the punishment to commence, he became bewildered when nothing of the sort happened. He couldn't help but to peek again through one of his eyes and find out what she was up to, only to see the image of his meister's face come dangerously close to his. She rested her forehead against his and he could feel her arms as they slid underneath his again and grasped each other behind him in a tight embrace.

"Your name is Soul _Eater. _You hate it when people call you Evans, so I never do. I like Trance Fusion, but anything you play on your piano is my favorite music. And no matter what happens I know that you'll always be there for me like I am for you. Why else would you take a sword in the heart for me?"

That last part of her sentence was when she brought her mouth closer to his. Soul knew that everything she had just said was true, but he couldn't focus on any of it. He was frozen in place as Maka held him tighter and peered into his eyes with her own emerald ones. His heart kept stopping after every hot breath of his meister's escaped her lips and brushed past his own. She _never _made him feel this way before, and a certain part of him just didn't know how to respond. The weapon hated this feeling he had, like he was putty in her hands.

"It wasn't in the heart." he replied meekly, trying his very best not to stutter and sound uncool.

For a brief moment they stood there intertwined, and in that amount of time Soul started to grow used to the feeling of being so close to her. Maka pushed up on his forehead a bit and brought his face up with her own, the tips of their noses barely touching. He could now see every emotion possible displayed in her eyes, and they looked at him analytically, as if gauging his reaction to everything. Briefly they stared at each other as they held their collective breaths, waiting for something to happen.

Then without warning she brought her face away from his and dug her head into the base of his neck. Her hold on him loosened a bit as she shifted her arms to grab the back of his shoulders, but still she held on rather tightly. Soul could do nothing more than to go along with her motions and put his arms around her as well, throwing his head back slightly as he tried to ease himself.

"Your heart's beating pretty fast." she told him quietly, face half buried in his neck.

Soul breathed in, a wary grin on his face. "I forgot. We're in resonance, you can sense all that stuff."

He could feel her smile form along his skin. "No, I can feel your pulse right now."

His back shuddered a bit at her words, causing Maka to smile even more. How the hell was she _getting _to him like that? She was his _meister!_ His friend! Not some random fan girl who was looking for cheap love, or some cabaret witch like her father was so into. So why then all of a sudden was his stomach doing aerials every time she breathed into his neck? Or when she grasped the back of his jacket and fingered along the ridges of his shoulder? Why was he thinking about _things _as she brushed against him? He was hoping she wasn't doing it on purpose.

"Maka how'd you get here?" he stammered quickly. Never had he sounded so uncool before.

"It's a long story." she replied quietly, still occupying herself with tracing her fingers along his back.

Soul swallowed air. "Go ahead, we've got time."

Maka stopped tracing her fingers. "I'd rather not say."

"Seriously Maka, just go ahead and-"

"-I said no!"

Her response was loud and quick, and it hushed Soul up immediately. His skin quickly became wet as she pushed her face into his shoulder, the water that quickly gathered to her eyes seeping through the cuts in his shirt. Soul stood there silently as he felt his meister heave ever so slightly, the latter trying her best to control her emotions. Even though he didn't know exactly why she burst out, Soul had a pretty good idea.

The boy payed a quick glance to his bloodied clothes. He remembered earlier the guilt he felt by looking at it, and now that he was gazing upon it again, the blood reminded him of everything he'd done to Maka. The anger he caused her to have when he didn't listen to what she said. The worry she'd been put through for his sake. The stress of having to keep herself composed, even when deep down she wanted to let it all out. All of it weighed on her up until that point, and now that they were together in a place where no one else could see, she finally could vent.

"Maka, I-"

"-Don't say you're sorry." she cut him off in a quiet heave. "Just please be quiet."

Soul tightened his grip on her and brought his head down to her level. "But I am sorry. All of this is my fault. If I had just walked away instead of letting him get to me, none of this would've happened."

Maka shook her head against his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you! Now please, just be quiet!"

It took him a second to realize what she meant, but eventually he understood. Soul obeyed, standing there silently as the two of them held onto each other in the stifling black room. He knew now that she just wanted take a moment to herself. Wholeheartedly, he would've given her all the time in the world. She'd been through a lot for his sake, and even then she hadn't complained. And now that they were together, all Maka wanted was a little time doing what _she_ wanted; to be with her weapon alone, away from the stresses of outside.

The blonde's tears slowly receded over time and her sniffles were almost non existent after a minute or two, but even after she had calmed and there was no other reason for the two to continue embracing, they still did. Maka finally took her face from his shoulder and brought it towards his again. Soul wrapped his arms around her neck. The air of sadness that was there not even a few moments ago seemed to fade away altogether, leaving behind a comfort that the two took full advantage of.

"I'm still sorry."

She smiled. "You're such a dumbass."

Maka burst into laughter at the sight of his eyes narrowing at her. The latter was quickly annoyed and tried to break away from her, but she wouldn't have it. Soul was constrained by her tightening grip on him and, although making faces at her somewhat lacking inhibition, deep down he admitted to liking it. So pretending to keep fighting her, he wriggled and squirmed in her arms as she tried to restrain him further, growing smiles making their ways across their lips as they did.

It went on until, in their fun, Soul accidentally did break free. Still, their smiles long since turned to laughter, neither of them really cared. Soul got it out of his system pretty quickly, but even as her laughter died down, Maka still giggled to herself under her breath. Finally it was just them two, not even half a foot from the other, smiling at each other for reasons that still weren't completely known. It could've stayed like that too, had one of them not ruined the moment.

"Why _did_ Leon piss you off so much?" Maka asked through her radiating smile.

Soul froze dead in his tracks. His smiled vanished, his eyes widened, and the room quickly became hot. That was a very good question. Why _was _he so pissed off? Leon just offered to be her weapon, Maka had already said no. So why then did this whole mess start in the first place? It was because he got ticked off, threatened even. But threatened of what...

"Soul?"

...It was just a partner request, right? He got those all the time, and Maka never freaked out one bit. Why was it then that after all these years, one person _finally _asks her to become their meister, and suddenly it's the end of the world for him? Not that it was or anything!...

"Soul!"

...and what was all that stuff that happened just then? Hugging? Giggling? Breathing on each other's _lips?_ What the hell was going on! How did he go from the coolest guy in shibusen to some love struck puppy that wasn't even coherent! Wait a minute, did he just say _love _struck puppy_...?_

**"SOUL!"**

He blinked as Maka snapped him back into reality. His eyes were still wide and there was a slight twinge of red in his face, and he prayed that his meister couldn't see the few beads of sweat hanging from his brows. He caught a glimpse of her and immediately he noticed that look in her eyes, like she knew something was up. That smile she had on was still there only it looked softer, more blissful. Soul had no idea how to respond, so he thrust his hands into the pockets of his tattered jeans as he always did and looked back at her, head slightly bowed in embarrassment.

"What?"

"You know," she started coyly, grasping her wrist behind her back. "I wasn't really looking for an answer. I just wanted to see how you'd respond."

Soul's jaw went slack a little. The look on Maka's face was the only thing that kept him from completely losing what was left of his cool. That smile of hers, they way her eyes lit up. Whatever she had found out from his reaction, it caused her such great joy that there was no way Soul could ruin it for her. So, swallowing any shred of pride left, he just smiled back at her and let the girl bask in her own victory.

"So what'd you find out?"

Maka took a deep breath and exhaled. "I think I'll tell you later, after I make you some spaghetti and meatballs for dinner."

Soul Eater scoffed. "Spaghetti? When you said Italian, I thought you meant lasagna or something like that. Something classy!"

"Well excuse me! I don't know how to make anything else!" she huffed, pursing her lips in annoyance.

"Figures."

Soul broke his eyes away from her and looked around him. The solid shadows that cloaked the area earlier seemed to have faded since the last time he saw them. He wondered again exactly where he was. Probably the Black Room after it became twisted by his submission into insanity, but it had never been that bad before. He couldn't make out anything besides the bright figure of Maka in front of him, and he had no idea where the exit was.

"You found a way in here Maka, how the hell do we get out?" he asked, still gazing around him.

She shifted in place. "I'm actually not quite sure. I just knew that you needed me so I resonated with you outside. I wound up here when you started to screaming."

Soul cringed a bit. That wasn't a pleasant thought, him screaming like a lunatic being the first thing she saw of him. He looked around the space a few more times and, after not finding a single clue to an escape, threw in the towel. He gave a defeated sigh and stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor near Maka's feet. The latter saw his submission and gave a weak smile.

"We'll get out of here, don't worry."

"Yeah, I know."

The death-scythe picked his eyes up from the floor and followed Maka's figure all the way up till he came to her face again. He saw that comforting smile of her's and his mood picked up for the better. Sure, the situation seemed grim, but they'd been through worse together. Soul figured that as long as one of them didn't give up, they could always help the other and get out of Black Room. It always seemed to work out like that anyway.

So standing there, his meister not even a foot away from him, Soul let his mind start to wander. He thought of their day _before_ they decided to listen to their professor who, in his infinite wisdom, decided that today would be a great day for random training. He thought of the battle with Leon, how he had done things on his own that he never thought he could. A shiver went down his spine as he came to the part where the Pata blade sunk into his shoulder, sealing his descent into madness. That thought couldn't disappear fast enough but, interestingly, another one quickly filled it's space. It was slightly random, and he couldn't believe he remembered it. But now that he had, Soul couldn't get it out of his mind.

The young scythe brought his attention to Maka. She watched him in confusion as he stared back at her, wondering why her weapon was suddenly so interested in her. Soul pondered briefly, as if trying to come up with a conclusion to the thought in his head. However, when he seemingly couldn't come up with one, he finally gave in. Conceding to himself, Soul reached for the back of his head and scratched his scalp, an awkward smile plastered to his face.

"Uhm, Maka?"

She blinked, bewildered. "What is it?"

"Well, remember when Leon stabbed me the second time?"

The girl thought for a moment and shuddered as she recalled the sound of his wales. "Yes."

"Well," he started up again, clearing his throat as he looked away from her. "Before I passed out, I remember you saying some things..."

"...What kind of things?" Maka's eyes half closed in contemplation. After everything that had happened, so many words were said. She couldn't keep track of them all.

"Actually, it's more like four words."

He could feel the red start to appear on his face and it took all his strength to keep from abandoning the conversation altogether. Soul took a quick peak Maka's way, but instantly snapped his eyes back for fear of her seeing his bashfulness. That would _not _be cool if she did. At all.

"Four words?" she repeated, thinking hard about the significance of the number.

"Yeah...it kind of sounded something like-" he paused for a minute as he mustered up the courage to say it. Finally he just let the words sputter from his mouth. "-Like, 'he'll always be mine'?"

It became very quiet in that big, empty room of theirs. Soul waited for a response, but when none came, he looked to Maka for answers. The expression that he caught as he slowly arrived at her face was a mix between an ecstatic smile and gaping horror. He'd never seen her quite like that before. The ashy blonde's face was pure red, and he was sure that his own face looked quite similar to that. Not knowing what else to do, Soul just stood there, waiting for an answer.

A minute later, he got his response. "You _heard _that?"

"You _said _that?" he replied with a wary grin. Soul didn't know why, but her answer made his heart skip.

Maka stammered. "Well, yeah! It's just, I- well, I meant that you would always be my weapon is all..."

"...Oh."

As quickly as that sensation came to him, it let him even faster. He ducked his head in embarrassment at the meager two letters he could muster in response. Why was he acting so _weird? _Of course that's all she meant by that! What else could it have meant? That she actually _wanted _him? Soul Eater shook his head, more to himself than to Maka. If something was going to happen between them, it would've already happened, and he knew that. But even as he kept telling himself that, the thought still ate away at him.

Maka stared at her scythe with a bright red face that matched the shade of his eyes. He was looking down, shaking his head, and it made Maka's heart sink. She knew that even though she really did scream about Soul being her one and only weapon, that's not what she really meant. So why then did she flat out lie to him? In his own mind no less? Maka shook her own head and snapped herself out of it. She knew dam well the reason why she ran all the way over to him during his fight, and now that she was there, she was too much of a chicken to say anything? That was in excusable.

"Actually, Soul..."

The albino boy warily gave his attention back to the girl one more time, eyes half closed in indifference. It didn't register with him quickly enough when his meister coiled her arms around his neck. Or when she practically threw herself at him, making him wobble as he tried to keep them both from falling by reflex alone. None of it truly sunk in until she brought her face right back up to his again, their lips as close as they were when she fist embraced him.

"...I didn't mean it like that."

Soul tried his best to remain calm. His stomach lurched, but he gave a collected breath. "So what did you mean?"

He looked down on her and saw the blush in her cheeks. It wasn't the red of embarrassment like he had seen in them earlier, more like a hue of content. Her emerald eyes stared into his red ones like she could see right through him, making him take another deep breath at the strange sway she had over him. It was all so different from how he knew her, but he liked it. All of it. He wanted more, so he didn't resist in the slightest when Maka's grip tightened and brought their lips not even half an inch from each other.

He felt her tremulous breath across his face. "I want you all to myself."

Soul lost it. That last, tiny, stubborn piece of cool that he so desperately hung onto, he lost it. It went flying through the window as he tossed it aside and threw his arms around Maka's waist, pulling her in as he thrust his lips onto hers. Soul Eater Evans, the coolest guy in shibusen and possibly Death City, had just lost his title to a flat-chested, underdeveloped bookworm who liked to throw literature at his head in her spare time, all in less than a second. But he didn't care, his growing smile proved that. Maka could feel his grin start to form as they continued to kiss and the corners of her own mouth followed suit, the two of them smiling as they continued their embrace.

Neither let up, only occasionally to breathe or for one of them to mutter something under their breath. No matter what though, they always came back to each other. It was a long time coming, and neither one of them wanted it to end. So for what seemed like hours, they did whatever they could to make up for lost opportunities. Maka pulled at the back of his hair as she kissed him harder. The latter reached for her rear end and grabbed it forcefully, prompting a squeak from her that caused a chuckle from deep within his chest. She licked his bottom lip. He bit hers. Muffled moans and groans filled the stifling room, which seemed to grow strangely louder over time. It wasn't an increase in their enthusiasm, but something else that seemed to mess with the volume.

They didn't notice the darkness start to wane, nor the faint outlines of curtains appear around them. The void beneath their feet gave way to checkerboard floors, but all went unnoticed by the two. Their eyes closed and attention elsewhere, Soul and Maka preferred to continue their activities than to continue looking at the drab place around them. Had they opened their eyes however, they would've noticed that they were back in the Black Room. If they had stopped their moans and heated breathes, they would've also heard as the little ogre stood atop the grand piano in the corner and cursed under his breath, both in anger at his plan being foiled and at the obvious confusion of watching Soul and his meister make out right in front of him.

Luckily for them, they didn't notice. And they didn't stop. Because they finally had each other, and nothing was going to tear them apart.

Especially not Leon.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. <strong>

I apologize if the chapter is sub-par. It was by far the hardest one yet. I've discovered I'm not so great with the fluff, and that I'd take action over it any day. I believe this is the...fourth draft? Oh well. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Especially you, Scarlet! I brought the fluff early at your request :P

Kudos to Illusionary Path, he actually got my 'Killers' reference! Yay! Also to Aquatwin for (yet again) figuring out my plot! Am I really this obvious? Really?

Chapter 7, on it's way...can't believe I'm graduating in a week. It won't put a damper on my writing, so no worries. I might even have it earlier this time, so keep a look out!


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